Full text of "In their own words : Ignatius, Xavier, Favre and our way of proceeding"

See other formats

WESTON JESUIT SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY Liu..
•^ 99 BRATTLE STREET
^* CAMBRIDGE, MASS. 02138

In Their Own Words

Ignatius, Xavier, Favre

and Our Way of Proceeding

Peter Schineller, S.J.

38/1 SPRING 2006

THE SEMINAR ON JESUIT SPIRITUALITY

The Seminar is composed of a number of Jesuits appointed from their provinces in the
United States.

It concerns itself with topics pertaining to the spiritual doctrine and practice of
Jesuits, especially United States Jesuits, and communicates the results to the members of
the provinces through its publication, STUDIES IN THE SPIRITUALITY OF JESUITS. This is
done in the spirit of Vatican El's recommendation that religious institutes recapture the
original inspiration of their founders and adapt it to the circumstances of modern times.
The Seminar welcomes reactions or comments in regard to the material that it publishes.

The Seminar focuses its direct attention on the life and work of the Jesuits of
the United States. The issues treated may be common also to Jesuits of other regions, to
other priests, religious, and laity, to both men and women. Hence, the journal, while
meant especially for American Jesuits, is not exclusively for them. Others who may find
it helpful are cordially welcome to make use of it.

CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE SEMINAR

James W. Bernauer, S.J., teaches philosophy at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
(2004).

Richard A. Blake, S.J., is chairman of the Seminar and editor of STUDIES; he teaches
film studies at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. (2002).

Kevin Burke, S.J., teaches systematic theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology,
Cambridge, Mass. (2003).

T. Frank Kennedy, S.J., teaches music and is director of the Jesuit Institute at Bos-
ton College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. (2004).

Gerald L. McKevitt, S.J., teaches history at Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Cal.
(2005).

Dennis L. McNamara, S.J., teaches sociology at Georgetown University, Washing-
ton, D.C. (2005)

William E. Reiser, S.J., teaches theology at the College of the Holy Cross, Worces-
ter, Mass. (2004).

Philip J. Rosato, S.J., teaches theology at St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa.
(2005)

Thomas L Schubeck, S.J., teaches social ethics at John Carroll University, Univer-
sity Heights, Ohio (2004).

Dennis C. Smolarski, S.J., teaches mathematics and computer science at Santa Clara
University, Santa Clara, Cal. (2003).

The opinions expressed in STUDIES are those of the individual authors thereof.
Parentheses designate year of entry as a Seminar member.

Publication Office Editorial Office

Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits Faber House

3601 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108 102 College Road

Tel. 314-977-7257; soon 314-633-4622 Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3841
Fax 314-977-7263; soon 314-633-4623 Tel. 617-552-0860; Fax 617-552-0925

E-mail ijs@slu.edu E-mail flemingpb@bc.edu

In Their Own Words

Ignatius, Xavier, Favre
and Our Way of Proceeding

Peter Schineller, S.J.

Weston Jesuit

School of Theology

Library

99 Brattle St.

Cambridge, MA 02138

STUDIES IN THE SPIRITUALITY OF JESUITS

38/1 • SPRING 2006

The first word . . .

Sex. There it is, right before your eyes. Someday the gremlins of
Silicone Valley may be able to implant a microchip in the page to measure
reader reactions to the text. Until that time comes, we are left with specu-
lation. Those three letters provoke strong reactions. Some may be angry,
thinking this is a crude set-up for some inappropriate joke that has no
place in a journal such as this. Others may be puzzled that this has any-
thing to do with "the spiritual doctrine and practice of Jesuits" or "the life
and work of American Jesuits," as the inside front cover defines our pur-
pose. At the very least, this tiny word undoubtedly makes many of us
uncomfortable.

We are in good company. This Jesuit tradition starts with St. Igna-
tius, who shoehorned only one brief paragraph on the topic into the Con-
stitutions (no. 547) under the heading of "Obedience." It's worth quoting
in full: "What pertains to the vow of chastity requires no interpretation,
since it is evident how perfectly it should be preserved, by endeavoring to
imitate the purity of the angels in cleanliness of body and mind. There-
fore, with this presupposed, we shall now treat of holy obedience." One
can almost hear his proverbial sigh of relief at having gotten that messy bit
of business out of the way. After GC 34, we overcame this long-standing
reticence by providing a fuller treatment in Complementary Norms, nos.
144-48.

Old mind-sets linger, however. Many of us remember the renovation
readings in the refectory, when we were given a list of topics appropriate
for conversation. These included prayer, the lives of saints, and the virtues
and their opposites, except of course chastity. Over the years, I've managed
to hang on to my old "Instruction Book for Novices," revised in 1955.
One major section is entitled "The Practice of Obedience and Poverty in
the Novitiate." This citation is instructive in what it says and what it fails
to say. In introducing this chapter, the author writes: "... since obedience
and poverty, with chastity, form the matter of the three vows of religion
and constitute the essence of that state, the novices should expect that
these three great virtues will be the subjects of the principal instructions
given them. . . . And for this reason, during our probation we are carefully
exercised in religious obedience and poverty" (p. 36). He follows with
sections on poverty and obedience. Period. Another sigh of relief.

By today's standards, it was a strange world. With few exceptions,
most us entered directly out of high school or college as products of strict,
matrifocal Catholic homes and parochial schools. We were altar boys and

socialists. An enlightened student counselor might have issued Gerald
Kelly's pamphlet, Modem Youth and Chastity, and the "Question Box"
evening of the senior retreat might have offered some information about
sex, but for the most part, we didn't talk about or even think about such
things for fear of providing a "near occasion of sin." To tell the truth,
moral theology didn't help very much. It provided some guidelines for
hearing confessions, but on the whole it tended to reduce sexuality to
plumbing or a philosophic discussion of the nature of love. Issues con-
nected with homosexuality got little attention. In fact, I can't remember a
single class or conference about it. President Clinton had his "don't ask,
don't tell" policy for the military; our policy was "don't even think about it."

Here's a test. How many years had you advanced in the course
before you finally realized the reason for all this novitiate fuss about "par-
ticular friendships," "numquam duo" (never two alone at recreation), and
"regula nullius tangendi" (the rule of touch that kept us from playing
touch football or basketball — because of contact under the boards)? We
even had "sacred silence" while we changed during our afternoon dips in
the swimming pond. The thought of homosexuality never crossed my
mind, and I find it hard to believe that I was that much more oblivious
than everyone else.

It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that this ironclad code of
silence — or denial — led to institutionalized ignorance and arrested develop-
ment in clerical circles. And we have paid a terrible price for it.

How the times have changed! Now we can't avoid the topic, despite
our abiding discomfort in dealing with it. The sex-abuse scandal has made
clerical celibacy a staple of the headlines, editorial pages, and talk shows.
The reaction of church and civil authorities has been strong, and one
might ask if in some situations overly strong in dealing with the gray areas.
Because of our longstanding aversion to open discussion, the issue took
most of us by surprise. We lack the vocabulary and concepts for engaging
comfortably in the discourse that has been forced upon us.

It's been humiliating. Over the past few years, dioceses and religious
congregations have sponsored compulsory workshops on sexuality. No
attendance, no faculties. After many years in ministry, we've had to sign
affidavits authorizing background checks with state registries of sex offend-
ers. Some provinces have issued documents on "standards of conduct,"
with an accompanying letter to be signed and returned, verifying that
individuals have read the materials and would abide by the norms set
forth. The standards themselves are so obvious that it's embarrassing to
see them in print, just as it is uncomfortable, and if the truth be told a bit
irritating, to have a panel of professionals explain in detail what is appro-
priate and inappropriate behavior in dealing with minors. Sadly, after what
has happened, all this is in fact not only reasonable but necessary, but it is
still very sad.

A trifling comparison might be helpful. In several informal conversa-
tions, I've learned that many faculty colleagues now include in their syllabi
a section on norms of conduct and etiquette: No cellphones in class, no
private conversations, no eating, no plagiarism or buying papers from the
Internet; come on time; don't monopolize or mutilate reserve books; cut-
ting classes and failing to hand in papers will have a negative impact on
the grade. These points should be obvious to college-age students, but to
some, they're not. I thought that including these items was a personal
quirk of mine, but I have company. It's necessary, but as I think of it, a
bit sad.

I've been trying to sort out my own emotions during all of this
recent discussion of celibacy. More important is the impact it's having on
Jesuit life and the ministry. My conclusions vary with each new revelation
and press release, but here are a few points that might match your experi-
ence, and might not.

First and obviously, I'm angry. Less obvious is the question of who
to be angry with. Several notorious pedophiles and ephebophiles have been
identified as convicted felons, and I'm angry with the shame they brought
on the Church and the priesthood. Yet at the same time, I think most
Jesuits have some sense of the dark workings of the human psyche. We've
all known alcoholics, smokers, and overeaters who engage in self-destruc-
tive behavior despite their repeated resolutions to change. I've known of
some sex offenders whose self-hatred has pushed them to consider suicide;
others who think of themselves simply as loving persons misunderstood by
society at large. No, I'm not naive. Some may be simply evil. Whether
they suffer from delusion or compulsion, their psychic state has to influ-
ence our feelings toward them.

Church authorities provide another obvious target. As we look back
at the situation, so many of them seem to have mishandled the situation
from the start to finish, from failing to remove dangerous priests from
ministry to their attempts to shift the blame to opportunistic lawyers and
what they too readily labeled a hostile press. There is blame enough for all
to share. After the initial outrage, I've become a bit more benign in their
regard. Given the contradictory signals they seem to have been receiving
from experts, taking the most convenient advice must have seemed a
reasonable course of action. Their judgment was, as we now know, in
many cases tragically flawed. The three terrible miscalculations came to-
gether in a perfect storm of catastrophe: the overarching desire to avoid
public scandal; the belief that abusers could change their behavior after a
"strong talking-to," a retreat at the seminary and a fresh start in a new
setting; and finally a failure to recognize the devastating impact on the
victims of abuse. Some church leaders may have been cynical; some may
have maintained a posture of denial and hoped the problem would simply
go away. But on the whole, charity leads me to want to believe that most

of the problems stem from poor judgment. Again, we're back to that cleri-
cal discomfort in dealing with sexual matters. Since we avoided the topic
so effectively for so long, how could we expect our leaders to be able to
sort out conflicting data from lawyers, psychologists, moralists, social
workers, educators, parents, and who knows who else? Those who failed to
ask for advice stand doubly culpable.

Most of all, I'm angry with myself and with the clerical state, with
our blindness and denial, with our misguided loyalty and our failure to
understand. How could we, individually and collectively, have missed what
was going on around us and failed to stop it? Having said that, I wonder
about the consequences of a different understanding of corporate responsi-
bility. Here are two issues worth thinking about.

In addition to trying to understand the unfocussed anger, I find an
equally difficult time with an undefined atmosphere of suspicion that has
developed over the last few years. This has hit our homosexual brothers
hardest, but it strikes all of us to some degree. The distinction between
homosexuality and criminal or sinful behavior remains very fuzzy in some
minds, and this must be a terrible burden for gay Jesuits to bear. Are they
suspected of something for simply being what they are as God created
them? Since we have shied away from this issue for so long, it's difficult to
engage the topic with wisdom, understanding, and compassion now. We
bring a lot of baggage to the table, not all of it a source of pride.

This atmosphere, I would suggest, may be eroding our "unity of
minds and hearts." Do we wonder who is and who isn't gay? Is it impor-
tant that we know? Why? We long believed that the texture of commu-
nity life is enriched by individual friendships and groups of friends. Has
this notion of "companionship in the Lord" changed? Are relationships as
easy as they once were? Does a lifelong friendship between two Jesuits
raise questions? When does a group of friends become regarded as an
exclusive clique? Why should it matter?

The same kind of vague suspicion can have a corrosive effect on our
ministries as well. Clearly, we have to be careful, very careful of our con-
tacts with lay people. After the events of the past few years, we know that
we have to be aware of appearances as well as actualities. Keeping our
distance helps us avoid problems, but it also limits the good we can do. A
parent today would be quite justified in wanting details about their son's
or daughter's connection to a Jesuit. Who can blame them? Perhaps we
exaggerate the problem in our own minds and draw back. This vague
suspicion can have an impact on community life as well. On occasion,
some may wonder whether another Jesuit's relationship to a student or
parishioner has crossed that indefinable boundary. Is it all in our imagina-
tion? Should we say anything, just to be sure? It's not a very healthy
environment for fostering trust. Do we want to live this way?

Finally, we live now with an abiding sense of fear. Here's a concrete
example of what I mean. Last November the Congregation for Catholic
Education issued an instruction entitled "Concerning the Criteria for the
Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Ten-
dencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and Holy Orders."
Although I'm no expert in ecclesiastical nuance, the document struck me
as balanced on the whole. In any other time, it would have been taken as a
restatement of familiar norms, but in the present atmosphere it struck
others as a statement that opened the way for discriminating against gay
applicants and devaluing the ministry of many gay, celibate priests. Cou-
pled with the current round of visitations to seminaries, it deepened the
sense of the Church as an inhospitable environment for homosexual peo-
ple. The document and the seminary visitations may lead to constructive
outcomes, but in the present climate of fear, we wonder how it might be
used by some to further their own agenda. We're simply afraid of what it
might lead to.

Fear touches all of us in some degree. Who of us has not raked over
the past, trying to recall any incident, however innocent, that might be
resurrected years later as an allegation of impropriety? Can anything we
say or do in the present possibly be misconstrued? Priests were once above
suspicion; now after the scandals, we are obvious targets. And if the allega-
tion comes, will the judicial processes work justly on our behalf or will we
become a demonstration model for "zero tolerance." And if the allegation
is proved groundless and we are restored to our previous ministry, how can
we ever restore our reputations?

My guess is that many American Jesuits share some of these dark
thoughts. My hope is that we might break through our long black wall of
silence. Now that the shock has passed and we have been forced to con-
front issues of sexuality in the public forum, we might reflect a bit on what
the experience has meant to our Jesuit life together.

Richard A. Blake, S.J.

Editor

Vtl

CONTENTS

Introduction

I. Ignatius 4

Life in the Spirit 4

A Deep Personal Love for Jesus, 4

Contemplative in Action, 6
Union of Minds and Hearts 8

An Apostolic Body in the Church, 8
Mission 10

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need, 10

Partnership with Others, 11

Called to Learned Ministry, 12

Men Sent, Always Available for New Missions, 13

Ever Searching for the Magis, 14

II. Francis Xavier 15

Life in the Spirit 15

Union of Minds and Hearts 17

An Apostolic Body in the Church, 18
Mission 21

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need, 21

Partnership with Others, 23

Called to Learned Ministry, 23

Men Sent, Always Available for New Missions, 25

Ever Searching for the Magis, 26

III. Peter Favre 28

Life in the Spirit 28

A Deep Personal Love for Jesus Christ, 28

Contemplative in Action, 30

Apostolic Prayer and Spirituality, 34
Union of Minds and Hearts 35

An Apostolic Body in the Church, 36
Mission 38

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need, 39

Partnership with Others, 40

Called to Learned Ministry, 41

Ever Searching for the Magis, 43

Conclusion 43

Peter Schineller, S.J., was superior of the Nigeria
Ghana Region when he was elected to General Con-
gregation 34 as a representative of the New York
Province. At the congregation he served as president
of the commission charged with drafting Decree 26,
"Characteristics of Our Way of Proceeding." After
completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago,
where he specialized in the thought of Karl Rahner,
he taught systematic theology at the Jesuit School of
Theology in Chicago. When it dosed, he went to the
Catholic Institute of West Africa in Port Harcourt,
Nigeria. After his term as regional superior, he re-
mained in Nigeria, heading Gaudium et Spes, the
pastoral institute in Abuja. Currently, he is president
of Loyola Jesuit College in Abuja. His previous contri-
butions to STUDIES are Newer Approaches to Christology
and the Spiritual Exercises (12, nos. 4 and 5 [September
and November 1980]) and Pilgrim Journey of Ignatius
(31, no. 4 [September 1999]).

In Their Own Words

Ignatius, Xavier, Favre, and Our Way of Proceeding

During the Jubilee Year the writings of St. Ignatius, St.
Francis Xavier, and Blessed Peter Favre assume a special
significance for Jesuits. Arranged according to the themes
outlined in the decree "Our Way of Proceeding," this collec-
tion of original texts, situated in their historical settings,
provides a valuable resource for personal reflection and
public presentations during this year of celebration.

Introduction

In the introduction to his most enlightening book on Peter Favre,
William Bangert, writer of the widely circulated History of the
Society of Jesus, begins: "Jerome Nadal — the promoter of the
Constitutions — had the practice at Communion at Mass of praying
for the grace to imitate Ignatius, Peter Favre, and Francis Xavier/'1 In
Nadal's own words, we read that he prayed to Christ to "be given
the grace of resembling Fr. Ignatius, Fr. Favre and Fr. Xavier. Within,
I seemed to hear Christ telling me that he was giving me this
grace."2

These are the three Jesuits that we celebrate in this jubilee
year of grace. The year began on December 3, 2005, and ends one
year later. We recall the five hundredth anniversary of the birth of
St. Francis Xavier, April 7, 1506; the anniversary of the birth of

William V. Bangert, S.J., To the Other Towns: A Life of Peter Favre, First
Companion of St. Ignatius (Westminster, Md. 1959), vii.

2 William V. Bangert, S.J., Jerome Nadal, S.J., 1507-1580: Tracking the First
Generation of Jesuits (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1992), 200.

2 <0> Peter Schineller, S.J.

Blessed Peter Favre, born six days after Xavier, on April 13, 1506; and
the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius, July 31, 1556.

What did these men say, write, and accomplish that is signifi-
cant, revelatory, and challenging for our way of life, our way of
proceeding, as we celebrate the jubilee in this twenty-first century? I
have selected three key areas of Jesuit apostolic life, namely, our life
in the Spirit, our life in community, and our mission. What can we
learn from these first Jesuits about our life in the spirit, about our
union of minds and hearts, and our apostolic life? What were the
graces given to the three men we celebrate, the graces that they
exemplified, the graces that Nadal saw in them and wished to
imitate?

My goal here is to look from the past to the present and
future, with the help of these three First Companions. The lens or
horizon is that of the eight characteristics of our way of proceeding
presented in decree 26 of the Thirty-Fourth General Congregation.
Father General Kolvenbach has said that this decree, "Characteristics
of Our Way of Proceeding/' is his favorite.3 It has been used for
province renewals, in prayer services, and in retreats. Individual
Jesuits, Jesuit communities, and Jesuit apostolates might well evalu-
ate how they stand up in the light of these characteristics. These are
the eight characteristics that provide most of the subheadings as we
look at these Jesuits we celebrate this year:

1. Deep personal love for Jesus Christ

2. Contemplatives in action

3. An apostolic body in the Church

4. In solidarity with those most in need

5. Partnership with others

6. Called to learned ministry

7. Men sent, always available for new missions

8. Ever searching for the more, the magis

Rather than review the overall lives and ministries of the three men,
I will merely select vignettes from their lives and writings that
illustrate their way of proceeding.

See for example an interview with him in National Jesuit News, November
1998, p. 12.

In Their Own Words -0- 3

We know the historical background of their relationship. Favre
and Xavier were students at the University of Paris, studying and
living together for almost four years, from 1525 on, until Ignatius
arrived there in 1528. Favre writes that he shared table and purse
with Xavier. In 1529 Ignatius joined them in their lodgings, and
remained with them until 1535. Xavier received the Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1529. In January and February 1534, Favre made the
Exercises. Ordained a priest on May 30, 1534, he celebrated his first
Mass on July 22, 1534. Three weeks later, Favre celebrated Mass at
Montmartre for the First Companions. Xavier finally made the
Exercises in 1534. In 1535 Ignatius returned to Spain for health
reasons, leaving Favre in Paris in charge of the group. They all had
arranged to meet in Venice in January 1537 to prepare for a pilgrim-
age to the Holy Land. Unable to make the voyage, in 1538 the whole
group of companions put themselves at the service of the Pope for
the good of the Church; and in 1540 the Society of Jesus came into
being as a religious order.

Favre, age 33, left Rome in 1539 and traveled on mission to the
north and the west, especially in Germany and Spain. He would not
see Ignatius for seven years, and he would never see Xavier again.
During these seven years of travel "to the other towns," he would
preach, teach, and, above all, share the treasure of the Spiritual
Exercises. In 1546 he returned to Rome in order to prepare to partici-
pate in the Council of Trent. He became ill and remained with
Ignatius for only a few weeks. He died in Rome at the age of forty,
on August 1, 1546, before he could go to Trent.

Xavier left Rome in March 1540 for Portugal on the first leg of
his journey to the Far East, responding to the request of the King of
Portugal, John III. This was before Ignatius was elected general
superior, before the Society was officially confirmed, and before the
Constitutions were fully written or promulgated. He never saw
Ignatius or Favre again. The following year, 1541, when he was
thirty-five years of age, he left Europe for India. In 1549 he traveled
to Japan. In 1552, at the age of forty-six, he died within sight of
China, which he had hoped to enter. Actually he had been called
back to Portugal, but the letter from Ignatius never reached him. He
had spent ten years of ministry and mission in the Far East.

Ignatius remained in Rome during the period of the mission-
ary activity of Favre and Xavier. He guided the new Society, wrote
its Constitutions and several thousand letters. He died in Rome less

4 ^ Peter Schineller, SJ.

than four years after the death of Xavier, in July 1556. Ignatius was
beatified on July 27, 1609, and Xavier on October 25, 1619. They
were canonized together on March 12, 1622. Favre was beatified on
September 5, 1872 and remains a Blessed, with little prospect of
canonization. Indeed he was and remains "the quiet companion/'4

I. Ignatius

Life in the Spirit

A Deep Personal Love for Jesus

Jesus Christ is at the center of the Spiritual Exercises. At the end
of the First Week, Ignatius instructs us to conclude the meditations
on sin by imagining Christ present before us on the cross and
asking:

What have I done for Christ?
What am I doing for Christ?
What ought I to do for Christ?5

The Second, Third, and Fourth Weeks of the Exercises focus on the
life, death, and resurrection of Christ. A grace we especially pray for
is "to ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become
human for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more
closely" (104).

The memoirs and the personal journal or diary of Ignatius
further point to his reverent familiarity with Jesus. We may give one
rather quaint and familiar example of his desire to know and love
Jesus. When Ignatius the pilgrim was about to leave the Holy Land,
he desired to be once again close to Jesus, and visit the places where
he walked and prayed.

There came over him ... a great desire to go back and visit the
Mount of Olives again, before he left. . . . On the Mount of Olives is

See the very aptly titled book of Mary Purcell on Favre, The Quiet Companion:
Peter Favre, S.J., 1506-46 (Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd, 1970).

Saint Ignatius, The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, trans, with commen-
tary by George E. Ganss, S.J. (St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1992), 53. Locators
given refer to the marginal numbers in the text. References to this source will be
abbreviated to SpEx., followed by the appropriate marginal number.

In Their Own Words <$

a stone, from which Our Lord went up into heaven, and even now
the footprints can be seen; this is what he wanted to go back to see.6

On his way to Rome after the gathering of the First Compan-
ions in Venice, Ignatius experiences the famous vision at La Storta
that confirms his personal relationship to Jesus.

And being one day in a church some miles before arrival in Rome,
and making prayer, he sensed such a change in his soul, and he saw
so clearly that God the Father was putting him with Christ his Son,
that he would not have the wilfulness to have any doubt about this:
it could only be that God the Father was putting him with his Son.7

In his so-called "Spiritual Diary," he later recalls this incident: "It
seemed in some way to be from the Blessed Trinity that Jesus was shown or
felt, and I remembered the time when the Father put me with the Son"
(84 f., §22, italics in the source). Indeed, throughout this spiritual
diary, we see Ignatius constantly in union with Jesus, often over-
whelmed with consolation, devotion, and tears. This experience was
most dramatic during the celebration of Mass, but frequently contin-
ued during prayers after Mass and through the day. Thus he writes
on February 24, 1544,

On these occasions my love was so great, I so felt and saw Jesus, that it
seemed that nothing could happen in the future capable of separating me
from Him or of making me doubt about the graces and confirmation that I
had received. (86, §23; italics in the source)

In founding the Society of Jesus, Ignatius insisted the name of
the brethren should be the "Society of Jesus." He would let nothing
deter him from this conviction. Polanco later recalls Ignatius's convic-
tion in this matter:

The name is the Company of Jesus. Father Master Ignatius had so
many visitations and signs of approval and confirmation of this

There are several English-language versions of what has come to be referred
to as Ignatius's autobiography. In this essay quotations from this source will be taken
from Luis Gonqalves da Camara, "Reminiscences," in Saint Ignatius of Loyola: Personal
Writings, trans, with introductions and notes by Joseph A. Munitiz and Philip Endean
(New York: Penguin Group, Penguin Books, 1996). Parmananda R. Divarkar has
called his translation A Pilgrim's Testament (St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1995).
William J. Young, S.J., styles his translation St. Ignatius' Own Story (Chicago: Loyola
University Press, 1956). References will be given by page and section number, in this
case p. 35, section 47. This source will be identified as "Reminiscences."

"Reminiscences," 60, no. 96.

6 <f Peter Schineller, SJ.

name, that I heard him say he would feel to be acting against God's
will and offending him if he were to doubt of its fitness. When he
was urged to change it, because some said we were taking Jesus for
ourselves, and others gave other reasons, I remember him saying
that even if all the members of the Society judged otherwise, he
would not give in on this.8

A deep personal love for Jesus was not the mark of Ignatius
alone. It was to mark the lives of all Jesuits. Thus, writing to scholas-
tics, Ignatius stresses the centrality of the love of Jesus Christ in their
lives.

But above all I would like you to be uplifted by the pure love of
Jesus Christ, together with the desire for His honour and for the
salvation of souls that He has redeemed. In this "company" you are
his soldiers with a special rank and a special pay.9

Contemplative in Action

The deepest insight into Ignatius as a contemplative in action
comes from Nadal, who gave this description of the life and prayer
of Ignatius. He explains that Ignatius frequently enjoyed the contem-
plation of the Trinity:

Father Ignatius enjoyed this kind of prayer by reason of a great
privilege and in a most singular manner, and this besides, that in all
things, actions, and conversations he contemplated the presence of
God and experienced the reality of spiritual things, so that he was a
contemplative likewise in action (a thing which he used to express
by saying: God must be found in everything).10

So too, Ribadeneira writes as follows:

We frequently saw him taking the occasion of little things to lift
his mind to God, who even in the smallest things is great. From
seeing a plant, foliage, a leaf, a flower, any fruit, from the consider-

8 ...

Juan de Polanco, "Somario de las cosas . . . /' in Fontes narrativi de San Ignatio
de Loyola et de Societatis Iesu initiis, 4 vols., nos. 66, 73, 85, 93 of the Monumenta
historica Societatis Iesu (Rome: Institutum historicum Societatis Iesu, 1943-65), 1:204.

Ignatius of Loyola, Letter 16 (1547), in Personal Writings, 175, §12.

This is found in Joseph Conwell, Contemplation in Action (Spokane, Wash.:
Gonzaga University, 1957), 25. The original text can be found in Jer6nimo Nadal, "In
examen annotationes," in Epistolae P. Hieronymi Nadal, vol. 4, vol. 47 of the series
Monumenta historica Societatis Iesu (Madrid, 1905), 651 f.

In Their Own Words <$>

ation of a little worm or any other animal, he raised himself above
the heavens and penetrated the deepest thoughts; and from each
little thing he drew doctrine and most profitable counsels for in-
structing in the spiritual life. And he desired that all in the Society
accustom themselves always to find the presence of God in every-
thing and that they learn to raise their hearts not only in private
prayer, but also in all of their occupations, carrying them out and
offering them in such a way that they would feel no less devotion in
action than in meditation. And he used to say that this method of
prayer is very profitable for all and especially for those who are
much engaged in exterior things of the divine service.11

At the dawn of his conversion, while Ignatius was recuperating in
Loyola, he notes that he spent his time in prayer and in writing.
Then he notes that "the greatest consolation he used to receive was
to look at the sky and the stars, which he did often and for a long
time, because with this he used to feel in himself a great impetus
towards serving Our Lord/'12 Ignatius enjoyed contemplating the
beauty of the universe, but what is especially noteworthy is that
even at this early stage contemplation led to action. It did not
remain in the realm of pure contemplation.

So too, Lainez notes that this continued later in life, during
Ignatius's years in Rome.

At night [Ignatius] would go up on the roof of the house, with
the sky there up above him. He would sit there quietly, absolutely
quietly. He would take his hat off and look up for a long time at the
sky. Then he would fall on his knees, bowing profoundly to God.
. . . And the tears would begin to flow down his cheeks like a
stream, but so quietly and gently that you heard not a sob nor a sigh
nor the least possible movement of his body.13

The daily examen, which Ignatius insisted upon, becomes a
major instrument in his own spiritual life and those of his compan-
ions. Through it one develops the ability to find God in all things.
Yet, while formal prayer, especially the examen, remains important
for Ignatius, it is not the only way to God. Thus, in July 1549 he
wrote as follows to Francis Borgia, at that time the Duke of Gandia:

Conwell, Contemplation in Action, 10, with its reference to Luis Goncalves da
Camara, "Algumas cousas . . ." (known as his Memoriale), in Fontes narrativi, 1:644.

"Reminiscences," 16, §11.

Cited in Ribadeneira, Vita Ignatii Loyolse, in Fontes narrativi, 4:74 f., §15).

8 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

*:■:■>:<■:•:■:■:■:■:■:■:■>

It would be good to realize that not only when he prays does
man serve God, because if he served God only when he prayed,
prayers that lasted twenty-four hours a day, if such a thing were
possible, would be short, since the whole man as completely as
possible should be given to God. And indeed, at times God is served
more in other ways than by prayer, so much so in fact that God is
pleased that prayer is omitted entirely for other works, and much
more, that it be curtailed.14

Further parts of that strong letter to the Jesuits in Spain make the
same point. Ignatius warns against excessive penance and prayer,
and criticizes those who judge that only prayers over two hours
long are real prayers (ibid., 210 f.). So too, the Constitutions limit and
restrict the amount of formal prayer.15

Union of Minds and Hearts

An Apostolic Body in the Church

Ignatius was inspired to gather followers and friends to ad-
vance the work of the kingdom. A powerful expression of this
intention is found in the "Deliberation of the First Fathers/7 which
owes much of its inspiration to Ignatius. There we read these lines:

In as much as our most kind and affectionate Lord has deigned
to gather us together and unite us, men so spiritually weak and from
such diverse geographical and cultural backgrounds, we ought not
split apart what God has gathered and united; on the contrary, we
ought day by day to strengthen and stabilize our union, rendering
ourselves one body with special concern for each other, in order to
effect the greater spiritual good of our fellow men. For united spiri-

14 Letters of St. Ignatius of Loyola, trans. William J. Young (Chicago: Loyola
University Press, 1959), 211.

See The Constitutions of the Society of Jesus and Their Complementary Norms (St.
Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1996), 142, §342 f., applicable to scholastics, and 254,
§582 f., concerning those promoted to grade. Hereafter this volume will be cited as
Cons., followed by the page number and the boldface section number.

In Their Own Words ^

tual strength is more robust and braver in any arduous enterprise
than it would be if segmented.16

And again from that same "Deliberation,"

Finally, we decided in the affirmative; namely, that . . . we should
not break this divinely constituted oneness and fellowship, but rather
strengthen and consolidate it ever more, forming ourselves into one
body, (ibid.)

This was the initial vision — a body of men dedicated to the
spiritual good of their fellow men and women. Since all had learned
so much from Master Ignatius, he was easily chosen to be the leader
of the group. The body was formed, but the needs of the mission
led to the members being sent out in many directions, responding to
the call and wishes of the Pope and bishops. In view of this disper-
sion, Ignatius develops Part VIII of the Constitutions, which is given
the precise title "Helps towards Uniting the Dispersed Members with
Their Head and among Themselves." He presumes that we are
dispersed and that we must work at remaining a strong apostolic
body in the service of the Church.

As general superior in Rome for many years, Ignatius builds
up and supports the brethren. He was noted for his kindness,
especially to the sick. He wanted to be kept updated on their names
and their condition, and he would go to any length for them. In
regard to the young Jesuits, he made sure they ate well. He saw the
importance of recreation and thus purchased villa houses, encour-
aged their use, and gave specific rules for those using them. More
than monastic silence, Ignatius stressed the art and grace of conver-
sation.

From those separated by distance from Rome, Ignatius ex-
pected frequent written reports detailing the fruits that the Jesuit
laborers were reaping in the Lord's vineyard. There was to be con-
stant communication on the progress of the works and the needs of
the mission. All this would help in building up the union of hearts
and minds.

First conclusion in the "Deliberatio primorum patrum," in Monumenta
Constitutionum praezria, 1539, vol. 63 of the Monumenta historica Societatis Iesu (Rome:
Institutum historicum Societatis Iesu, 1943), 3.

10 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

Such union of minds and hearts in the apostolic body of the
Society should also be shared and extended to others. As Ignatius
writes to the scholastics,

[y]ou should not be content to preserve lasting unity and love
among yourselves, but should spread it to all people. Take care to
sustain in your minds and hearts burning desires for the salvation of
others, valuing each person at the price they cost, the blood, indeed,
the life, of Jesus Christ.17

Thus this attitude of cura personalis should not only characterize the
relation of the superior to the members and the members among
themselves, but would be extended to those we serve in ministry.
On many occasions, such as the death of a loved one, Ignatius wrote
encouraging letters to the families of Jesuits. These were not simply
formal notes of sympathy, but detailed letters in which he tried to
extend the union of minds and hearts even to the families of
Jesuits.18

Mission

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need

Reaching out to the needy became a characteristic of the First
Companions. Ignatius writes thus from Venice in 1537:

In the middle of January nine of my friends in the Lord arrived here
from Paris. All have their MA degrees and are well versed in Theol-
ogy. . . . They had to cope with many threats from wars, long jour-
neys on foot and the worst of the winter. All are lodged in two
hospitals, and split up in order to care for the sick who are in pov-
erty, doing the jobs that are most demeaning and physically repug-
nant.19

Ignatius eventually travels to Rome, where he will remain for
the rest of his life. In addition to the administrative tasks, he reaches
out apostolically in times of crisis and in more ordinary times. He

17 Letter 16 (May 1547), in Personal Writings, 179, §24.

Two examples of such letters are a letter of 1551, consoling a sister on her
brother's death, and one of 1556, consoling the mother of a student. These are found
in Inigo: Letters Personal and Spiritual, selected by Michael Ivens, S.J., edit, and trans.
Joseph A. Munitiz (Sussex: Inigo Enterprises, 1995).

19 Ibid., letter from Venice (July 24, 1537), 144 f.

In Their Own Words <$- 11

sets up a home for prostitutes. When the sickness of the plague hits,
he opens the doors to assist the sick and needy. In the harsh winter
of 1538-39, it is said that Ignatius and his companions sheltered four
hundred homeless persons in the building of the Gesu.

Since the number of Jesuits was small, Ignatius often enlisted
the help of others and, in particular, the collaboration of women in
running these establishments. Thus a group of noble ladies ran the
house of St. Martha.

What he himself did Ignatius expected of other Jesuits, wher-
ever they might be assigned. So the Fathers attending the Council of
Trent are advised to look out for the needs of others, especially the
poor.

And what they should especially seek to accomplish for God's greater
glory is to preach, hear confessions, lecture, instruct children, give
good example, visit the poor in the hospitals, exhort the neighbor
according to the amount of talent which each is conscious of possess-
ing, so as to move as many as possible to prayer and devotion.20

Partnership with Others

Many of his letters are precisely to link the support and aid of
the powerful to the works of the Society in education and in social
service. Colleges were founded and endowed by the powerful and
wealthy so that education would be available free of charge. It is
certainly true that many of the letters and discussions of Ignatius
were with the powerful — powerful civic leaders, princes and kings,
and powerful church leaders, including the Pope and bishops. Yet,
in very many cases, this encounter with the powerful had as one of
its aims to link the resources of the powerful with the needs and
scarcity of the powerless. Ignatius had very much in mind the needy
when he entered into agreements with the civic and church leaders.
He realized that for our works to succeed, many hands would be
needed.

In the Constitutions Ignatius sees clearly the need and the
advantage of enlisting others in our works.

"Instruction of Ignatius to the Fathers at the Council of Trent, 1546/' in
Young, Letters of Ignatius, 95.

12 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

For that same reason, too, preference ought to be shown to the aid
which is given to the great nations, such as the Indies, or to impor-
tant cities, or to universities, which are generally attended by numer-
ous persons who by being aided themselves can become laborers for
the help of others. (Cons., 286, §622v11)

He is always concerned and careful that we express our gratitude to
our benefactors and our partners by performing effective good
works and through continual prayers of gratitude for their benefac-
tions.

Called to Learned Ministry

Education was important to Ignatius from the beginning.

Once the said pilgrim had understood that it was God's will he
should not be in Jerusalem, he had constantly had with him
thoughts about what was to be done. In the end he was inclining
more toward studying for a time in order to be able to help souls,
and was coming to the decision to go to Barcelona. (Reminiscences, 36,
no. 50)

Ignatius also saw the need for learning in his followers. Schools and
colleges would be established to assure solid formation of our own
members. Eventually these colleges would be open to laity and
become an important part of the Jesuit mission.

The very title of Part IV of the Constitutions puts this emphasis
upon learning, but also holds it in relationship to other aspects of
Jesuit life. Long sections of this document, ''The Learning and Other
Means of Helping Their Neighbor That Are to Be Imparted to Those
Who Are Retained in the Society/ go into detail on the students,
teachers, and the content and method of the studies for those who
will be effective laborers in the Lord's vineyard.

Yet for Ignatius it was clear that learning alone would never
suffice. Thus, in a letter to Jesuit scholastics, he shows his concern
for learning and, at the same time, for virtue.

By advancing with your academic work on the one hand, and
growing in brotherly love on the other, may you come to be com-
pletely instruments of divine grace, and co-workers in that most

In Their Own Words <$- 13

sublime task, the bringing back of God's creatures into God's king-
dom, their ultimate end.21

Men Sent, Always Available for New Missions

In the mind of Ignatius, the first Jesuits were to be mobile,
available to go where the need was greatest. Thus, he confided to
Camara in his Reminiscences:

If permission were not given them to remain in Jerusalem, they were
to return to Rome, and present themselves to Christ's vicar, so that
he could employ them wherever he judged to be more for the glory
of God and the good of souls. (54, §85)

This is clearly formulated in the Constitutions, so much so that it is
said that the road is our home:

The aim and end of this Society is, by traveling through the
various parts of the world at the order of the supreme vicar of Christ
our Lord or of the superior of the Society itself, to preach, hear
confessions, and use all the other means it can with the grace of God
to help souls. (Cons., 130, §308)

When there were only six Jesuits in Rome and a request came
for help, Ignatius immediately sent two Jesuits to Portugal and to
the Indies, namely Simao Rodrigues and Nicolas Bobadilla. When
Bobadilla became ill, Xavier took his place.

Inspired by the words and decisions of Ignatius, Nadal sees
the essence or raison d'etre of the Society of Jesus to consist of this
availability and generous response in order to be able to meet needs:

The Society cares for those persons who are either totally ne-
glected or inadequately attended to. This is the basic reason for the
founding of the Society, this is its power, this is what makes it
distinctive in the Church.22

21 Letter 16 (1547) in Ivens and Munitiz, Inigo, 179.

Jeronimo Nadal, Orationis observationes, vol. 90a of Monumenta historica
Societatis Iesu (Rome: Institutum historicum Societatis Iesu, 1964), 126, §316. This is
also cited in Documents of the Thirty-Fourth General Congregation of the Society of Jesus
(St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1995), decree 6, p. 87, §168 n.9. Hereafter this
source will be abbreviated to GC 34, followed by the page number and boldface

14 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

Ever Searching for the Magis

An incident reported by Ribadeneira points to the thoroughly
apostolic vision of Ignatius. He reports that on one occasion, Ignatius
said to Lainez:

"Master Lainez, if God were to say to you: If you want to die at
once, I will give you eternal glory, but if you choose to live, I do not
guarantee you the gift of final perseverance. If you thought that by
remaining on earth, you would be able to achieve some great thing,
what would your choice be?"

"To die at once," said Lainez, "so that I would be sure."
Ignatius replied, "For my part, I would not. If I thought that by
continuing to live I could accomplish some great work for God, I
would beg Him to leave me on earth till I had done it. I would turn
my eyes toward God and not toward myself. I would take no ac-
count of my danger or my security."23

Human life, at least in the mind of Ignatius, is not primarily to be
seen as a trial or test that we pass to get to heaven as quickly as
possible by avoiding sin and evil. Rather, human life is a project or a
challenge to do something great for God.

The desire to accomplish a " great work for God" becomes a
prominent theme in the Exercises. For example,

Those who desire to show greater devotion and to distinguish
themselves in total service to their eternal King and universal Lord,
will not only offer their persons for the labor, but go further still.
They will work against their human sensitivities and against their
carnal and worldly love, and they will make offerings of greater
worth and moment.24

The notion of greater service, the magis, becomes even more promi-
nent in the Constitutions, Part VII of which bears the lengthy title
'The Relations to Their Neighbor of Those Already Incorporated into
the Society When They are Dispersed into the Vineyard of Christ
our Lord." Justly famous are the norms found there for making the
best choice. Consideration must be given to the greater need, where

section number.

Juan Luis Segundo refers to this story in his essay "Ignatius Loyola: Trial or
Project?" in Signs of the Times (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1993), 169f. The original
story in Spanish is found in Ribadeneira's sixteenth-century Vita Ignatii Loyohe, 773-75.

24 SpEx 54, §97.

In Their Own Words -$- 15

greater fruit is likely to be reaped, where our indebtedness is greater,
and where good can be extended, because "the more universal the
good is, the more it is divine" (Cons., 286, §622).

II. Francis Xavier

Life in the Spirit

The focus of the writings of Xavier is on mission. Thus, as we might
expect, we do not find many instances in the letters of Xavier where
he speaks about his personal devotion or relationship to Jesus. Yet it
was the personal call of the King, as contemplated in the Exercises,
that gave him zeal and energy for his missionary activity.

Xavier notes that the perils of the journeys in the Far East
caused him to intensify his prayer, to give himself completely into
the hands of the Lord. He prays to Mary and the saints: "Nor did I
neglect to have recourse to all saints in the glory of Paradise, begin-
ning with those who here below were of the holy Company of
Jesus, especially the blessed soul of Father Favre."25 He felt sure that
Peter Favre, his companion in Paris and later his friend on mission
in northern Europe, was among the saints of God.

For the most part, therefore, we rely on the testimony of
others for insights into Xavier's life in the Spirit.26 In the life of Xavier
by James Brodrick, we read of one account of his devotion at Mass.
Before his journey to India, during his stay in Bologna, a priest
observed him as he offered Mass.

At Mass, and particularly if it was a Mass of the Passion of Christ, he
wept abundant tears. One Friday, while saying Mass in the chapel of
Santa Lucia, he was rapt out of himself for more than an hour at the
Memento, though the server tried hard to rouse him by tugging at
his vestments. . . . Though very ill all the while, he never omitted his
early morning prayer, or his Mass, or any of his daily avocations.27

News of Favre's death on August 1, 1546, was brought to St. Francis in 1547.
See James Brodrick, Saint Francis Xavier (New York: The Wicklow Press, 1952), 301.

Unlike Ignatius and Favre, Xavier did not leave any journal or autobiogra-
phy. We have his letters, but they do not give any great detail on the practices or
shape of his own life in the Spirit. This explains the reliance on other sources in this
section.

Brodrick, Xavier, 63.

16 ^ Peter Schineller, SJ.

As Brodrick relates, a companion of Xavier, a Portuguese official,
Rodrigo de Sequeira, who journeyed with Xavier, recorded that he
could see the father at night on his knees, arms uplifted, before a
little crucifix made of wood. Then after a little rest, he would be up
before dawn to say his Office and his Mass (238). Fr. Mansilhas, a
priest, who had left the Jesuits because of ill health, also gives
evidence of his holiness:

I went about with him for six or seven years on the Fishery
Coast. No human being could have done what he did or have lived
as he lived without being full of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, his life was
more that of a saint and angel than of a man. (252)

Quoting Xavier, Brodrick records that through his years of tireless
ministry he proceeded with an overwhelming trust in God.

I feel it incumbent upon me to sacrifice my temporal life for the
sake of the spiritual life of my neighbor, and so, putting all my trust
in God our Lord, I have offered myself to danger and death in
whatever shape it may come, longing as I do to be conformed in my
own small and feeble way to the saying of our Redeemer, "He who
wants to save his life, will lose it, who loses his life for my sake, will
find it/' (253 f.)

As Xavier moved about the Far East, we see him practicing
ongoing discernment. Through conversation, study, inquiry, per-
sonal experience, and prayer, he seeks and discovers God's will, thus
learning where the Lord wants him to move. On the basis of this
discernment he makes his decision to stay or to move on to new
horizons.

Xavier relies upon the examen, and so recommends the prac-
tice of regular prayer and the daily examen to Fr. Barzaeus as he is
sent out on mission.

Twice a day, or at least once, make your particular examens. Be
careful never to omit them. So live as to make more account of your
own conscience than you do of those of others; for he who is not
good in regard to himself, how can he be good in regard to others?28

Cited in Joseph de Guibert, The Jesuits: Their Spiritual Doctrine and Practice,
trans. William J. Young, ed. George E. Ganss (St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources,
1986), 191.

In Their Own Words <& 17

As a further indication of his personal life of prayer, in his
instruction for Christians, his rule of life for converts, he expresses
his devotion to the Guardian Angels.

I beg you, blessed Angel, to whose providence I am entrusted, to
be always at hand to help me. Present my petitions to the merciful
ears of God Our Lord that of His clemency and by your prayers, He
may pardon my sins of the past, give me to know truly and repent
heartily of my present sins, and counsel and warn me that I may
shun sins in the future. Through you may He give me grace to do
good and to persevere to the end. Drive away from me by the
power of the Almighty God every temptation of the devil, and that
which my own deeds, mixed as they always are with some evil,
merit not, do you obtain for me by your prayers before our Lord.
And if at times you see me straying from the paths of goodness to
follow the errors of sin, procure that I may turn again speedily to my
Savior in the way of justice. When you behold me in tribulation and
anguish, obtain for me help from God by your sweet advocacy. I beg
you never to forsake me, but ever to shield, help and defend me
from all troubling and assaults of the demons, watching over me day
and night, at all hours and moments. And when this life draws to a
close, do not permit the demons to frighten me, and let me not fall
into despair. Leave me not, my Guardian, until you have conducted
me into the blessed vision of God, in the glory of which I with you
and God's Blessed Mother Mary and all the saints may rejoice for
ever. Amen.29

Union of Minds and Hearts

Before Xavier left Rome for India, he showed his admiration for
Ignatius and Favre by expressing his judgment that Ignatius would
be the best person to be the leader of the Society, since

with no little effort, [he] brought us all together and . . . not without
effort, will be able to preserve, govern, and cause us to advance from
good to better, since he has a greater knowledge of each one of us
than anyone else.30

Brodrick, Xavier, 316.

This quotation and most of those following are from The Letters and
Instructions of Francis Xavier, trans, with introduction by M. Joseph Costelloe, S.J. (St.
Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1992). This passage is Xavier's "Declaration, Vote,
and Vows" (March 15, 1540), ibid., 10.

18 <0> Peter Schineller, S.J.

If Ignatius were to die, then Xavier would favor Peter Favre as his
successor. Indeed, we behold three friends bound together, with
love, respect, and admiration for each other even as they go separate
ways on mission. Xavier sees Ignatius as the one who enabled them
to come together, united in mind and heart.

An Apostolic Body in the Church

The mission of Xavier came about in response to the request
of the Catholic leader of Portugal, King John III. The vow of special
obedience to the pope found perfect expression in the sending of
Xavier as apostolic nuncio to the Far East. Upon arriving in India, he
expressed concern for the status and spiritual life of the diocesan
clergy. Through retreats he challenged many of them to change their
ways and be the good priests they were ordained to be.

Xavier felt the physical absence of his brother Jesuits, but at
the same time he maintained strong ties and bonds with them
through letters and prayer. He wrote 167 letters, many to the Jesuits
in Europe, and he eagerly awaited letters from them. In several of
his letters he explicitly asks his Jesuit brothers to pray for him.

For the love of Christ our Lord and of his most blessed Mother
and of all the saints in heaven, I ask you, my dearest Brothers and
Fathers, that you be particularly mindful of me and continuously
commend me to God, since I live in such great need of his favor and
assistance. I have great need of your continual spiritual assistance,
for from much experience I have come to know that God our Lord
has, through your intercession, helped and assisted me in many toils
of body and spirit.31

In another letter he thanks his brothers for the graces he has re-
ceived through their prayers:

God has granted me a great grace through your prayers and the
constant remembrance which you have of me when you commend
me to him. I know that God our Lord, despite your physical absence,
lets me perceive through your help and assistance my infinite multi-
tude of sins and gives me strength to go among the infidels, for
which I give great thanks to God our Lord and to you my dearest
brothers. (73, §14 [January 15, 1544])

31 Ibid., 141 (May 10, 1546).

In Their Own Words <> 19

In his eagerness to receive news about the growth and activity
of his brother Jesuits, he earnestly pleads for news and also for
advice on how to proceed.

[W]rite to me in long detail about all of our Company. In this
world I have no hope of ever seeing you again, except as in a glass
darkly through the medium of your letters. Do not deny me this
favor, all unworthy of it though I am. Remember that your great
merits were given you by God that through them even I might be
refreshed and have hope of attainment. In God's name and for His
glory, tell me fully and clearly what ought to be my method of
approach to the pagans and Moors of the country to which I am
now going. It is my hope that by means of you God will teach me
how I must proceed in order to convert them to His holy faith. Your
letters will show me the blunders to avoid, the wrong methods
which I must change.32

In a letter to Ignatius, he explains part of his own policy of
admission of candidates to the Society, and then offers a beautiful
description of our Jesuit life in common.

I have treated with love and charity those whom I have thought
were suitable for the Society in order to strengthen them the more in
it, since they endure so many hardships in these regions in order to
serve God our Lord, and also because it seems to me that "Society of
Jesus" means to say "a Society of love and in conformity of minds"
and not "of severity and servile fear." (Letters and Instructions, 2217,
§5 [January 12, 1549])

In an instruction to Fr. Barzaeus, rector and vice-provincial, he
insists that the Jesuits must write and communicate annually to
Ignatius, describing the fruits of their labors in great detail. In addi-
tion he directs the priests to "write another general letter for all the
priests who are in Europe, informing them about the fruit which is
being produced in their regions" (404, §9). Xavier instructs that this
letter should be addressed as follows: "For the Fathers and Brothers
of Coimbra, and for all the other priests of the Society of Jesus who
are in Rome and Europe" (ibid.). Indeed, in his mind, communica-
tion was necessary for the union of minds and hearts.

Knowing that he was separated from the Jesuits in Europe
and often separated even from the Jesuits in India, we necessarily
have the image of Xavier as the strong, solitary missionary. Yet he

As found in Brodrick, Xavier, 404, §9.

20 ^ Peter Schineller, SJ.

:::::>::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>:x:::::::::::::x:::::::x::::::>::::::::::-::::::::::::::::::::::::

himself felt strong ties — and needed these strong ties — to the apos-
tolic body of the Society. He expresses this need again in a long
letter of 1548 to his Jesuit brothers in Rome.

When I begin to speak of this holy Society of Jesus, I am unable
to break away from such a delightful topic, and I am unable to stop
writing. ... I do not know how I can bring this letter to a better
ending than to confess to all of the Society, that if I should ever forget
the Society of the Name of Jesus, may my right hand be forgotten, since in
so many ways I have come to know the great debt which I owe to
all those of the Society. . . . And so I bring this to a close, asking God
our Lord, that, since in his holy mercy he brought us together in his
holy Society in this most laborious life, he may unite us in his glori-
ous company in heaven, since we are in this life so far separated
from each other out of love for him. (180, §22, with italics in the
source)

Union with the brethren through prayer and through letters
remained essential for Xavier, not just for his own support and
satisfaction, but for the accomplishment of his mission. So he writes
to the brothers in Rome on how love unites them in spite of great
distances.

God our Lord knows how much more consolation my soul would
have from seeing you than from my writing such uncertain letters, as
these to you because of the great distance that these lands are from
Rome; but, since God our Lord has removed us, though we are so
much alike in spirit and in love, to such distant lands, there is no
reason because of any intervening distance, if I am not mistaken, for
a lessening of love and care in those who love each other in the
Lord, since, as it seems to me, we are almost always seeing each
others, even though we do not speak familiarly with each other as
we used to do. (116 f., §1)

Finally, in a famous passage, he affirms his strong love and
union with his separated brothers. He keeps their names near his
heart.

So that I may never forget you and ever have a special remembrance
of you, I would have you know, dearest brothers, that for my own
consolation I have cut your names from the letters which you have
written to me with your own hands so that I may constantly carry
them with me together with the vow of profession which I made
because of the consolations which I receive from them. I gave thanks
first of all to God our Lord, and then to you, most dear Brothers and
Fathers, for the fact that God has so made you that I derive such

In Their Own Words <0> 21

great consolation from bearing your names. And since we shall soon
see each other in the next life with greater peace than we have in
this, I say no more. (141 f., §10)

Mission

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need

Apostolic zeal is certainly the hallmark of Xavier. Before he
was assigned to India, he worked with the first Jesuits in the various
ministries to the sick and the poor in Venice and Bologna. Another
priest described his typical day.

After Mass he would spend the entire day hearing confessions,
visiting the sick in the hospitals and prisoners in their jails, serving
the poor, preaching in the piazzas, and teaching children or other
uninstructed persons Christian doctrine.33

On the long sea voyage to India, he was described by one passenger
as "an angel of mercy" for his care for the sick. Several witnesses
who were on the voyage testified to his tireless works of charity
(103-5). Upon arrival in Goa he intensified his efforts. He thus
describes his normal activities:

Here at Goa, I have taken up my residence in the hospital. I hear the
confessions of those who are ill and give them Communion. . . . after
I have finished with the sick, I hear the confessions of those who are
well who come to see me; and in the afternoons I go to the jail to
hear the confessions of the prisoners. . . . [Then] I go to the chapel of
Our Lady that is near the hospital and there begin to teach the
children their prayers, the Creed and the Commandments. (Letters
and Instructions, 49 f., §12)

In that manner he carried out fully the mandate in the formula for
final vows to "teach catechism to children/' He notes that on normal
days there were one hundred children, and on feast days two
hundred. This often led to baptism, and it is said that he baptized
ten thousand in one month in thirteen villages. One result of these
baptisms was not only entrance into the Catholic Church, but fur-
ther security and protection for the people as they were linked by
their common faith to the Portuguese leaders and powers.

Brodrick, Xavier, 63.

22 <$> Peter Schineller, S.J.

The day was not long enough to meet the needs of the peo-
ple. In 1544 Xavier writes as follows:

During this time there were so many who came and asked me to
come to their homes to recite some prayers over their sick, and
others who came in search of me because of their infirmities, that the
mere reading of the Gospels, the teaching of the boys, baptizing,
translating the prayers, answering their questions, which were never
failing, and then the burial of the dead, left me no time for other
occupations. (67, §6)

In a letter to Ignatius, he described his ministry to children.

[T]he children in these villages would not allow me any time to say
my office or to eat or sleep until I had taught them some prayers.
Then I began to understand that of such is the kingdom of heaven. Since
it would have been impious to refuse so holy a request, I began with
the confession of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit, the Creed,
Our Father, and Hail Mary and taught them in this way. I saw that
they were by nature very gifted; and I am convinced that, if they
had anyone to instruct them in our holy faith, they would be good
Christians. (61, §2, with italics in the source)

Sometimes the accusation was made that Xavier traveled too
much, and did not give sufficient attention to the Jesuits in India,
whose superior he was. In one of his letters, he indicates his aware-
ness of this concern, but also gives the positive reason for the jour-
neys.

If I had not traveled to those lands, I would not know their
needs; and how could I take care of them and from practical experi-
ence be able to tell the priests how they should conduct themselves,
since experience is one of the principal parts of prudence?

Partnership with Others

Xavier did what he could, with limited resources, mostly from
King John III of Portugal. When he saw how great the harvest was
in India, he wrote back the famous letter challenging the university
students. The letter was written to the Jesuits in Rome, expressing
the hope and desire of Xavier for more workers in the vineyard.

Many fail to become Christians in these regions because they
have no one who is concerned with such pious and holy matters.
Many times I am seized with the thought of going to the schools in
your lands and crying out there, like a man who has lost his mind,

In Their Own Words ^ 23

and especially at the University of Paris, telling those in the Sor-
bonne who have a greater regard for learning than desire to prepare
themselves to produce fruits with it. (67, §8)

In his own ministry, due to unfamiliarity with the language,
he had to work with lay catechists in translating and sharing the
good news. He was clearly concerned not only with the growth of
the Society of Jesus, but also with the seminary in Goa for the
training of native vocations for the diocesan priesthood.

Called to Learned Ministry

Xavier may have been more famous at the University of Paris
for his athletic prowess than for his academic ability. He was not a
great theologian or scholar. Yet, through his contact with Ignatius
and the first Jesuits and his experience in India, he clearly saw the
need for learning.

Immediately upon his arrival in Goa, Xavier saw the impor-
tance of St. Paul's College, which had been established by laymen.
This was a mission seminary for the education of native priests. He
assisted in the completion of the building. He envisioned that the
college would grow and include those of different languages, coun-
tries, and races. He asked Ignatius to send men who could teach,
preach, and assist in the growth of this institution, so important for
the future of the Church in India. Thus as part of his program of
development, he states that "the basis of all that I am saying ... is
that colleges should be multiplied in those regions with the assis-
tance of the king of Portugal" (292, §8).

Eventually too, as he experienced more of the rich cultures of
the Far East, he began to see the wisdom, depth, strength, and
importance of the culture of Japan. Impressed with what he heard
about Japan, and then with first-hand experience, he wanted to
study the scriptures of Japan and learn their language. He began to
learn to write in Japanese script, translate the catechism into Japa-
nese, and memorize the creed (330, §3). Despite his limited facility in
languages, Xavier understood that the use of the vernacular was
crucial to the missionary enterprise. This insistence upon translation,
taken up by later Jesuit missionaries in India, China, and North

24 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

America, is rightly considered a breakthrough in the history of the
missions.34

One could say that while Xavier was led by a sense of charity
in his mission in India, he was led more by his intellect as he jour-
neyed through Japan. He adapted his style and tactics. To see an
important leader, he brought gifts and clothed himself with the garb
of the educated. There was success, but very limited success. He
speaks of five hundred converts in one month. He considered the
mission in Japan a two-way street. Writing to Ignatius, he explains
that he has learned much from the people of Japan, including
insight into his own iniquity! (344, §2).

With this limited success, Xavier began to formulate more
long-term plans. He planned to create links between the universities
of Europe and Japan, so there could be an interchange of students
(311, §54). He explains, "I shall not fail to write to the University of
Paris, which will communicate this information to the other universi-
ties of Europe" (220, §9; 231, §4). He planned to set up a residence in
Japan where the Jesuits could learn the language, culture, and
stories of the people (340 f., §5). Then, having forged links between
Europe and Japan, he anticipates that when students come from
Europe to attend these universities, they will find the Jesuit Fathers
and Brothers of great help in this endeavor.35

Finally, we note the advice of Xavier concerning young Jesuits
who might be sent to the Far East. His emphasis on learning is
present, even if it is secondary to virtue. This of course is in har-
mony with the writing and thought of St. Ignatius, to whom he
writes as follows in 1549:

Those who are to go among these infidels to convert them have
need of many virtues: obedience, humility, perseverance, patience,
love of their neighbor, and great chastity because of the numerous
occasions of sin; and they should have good judgment and sound
bodies in order to endure the hardships. (216, §3)

Paul Coutinho, The Ignatian Ideal and Jesuit Reality (Gujarat, Gujarat Press,
1999), 98.

35 See Jacques Lacouture, Jesuits: A Multibiography (Washington: Counterpoint,
1995), 133. Lacouture is insightful and positive regarding the missionary thrust and
shift in the theory and method of mission that he finds in Xavier.

In Their Own Words <& 25

Men Sent, Always Available for New Missions

Xavier quickly became the prime example of the Jesuit, the
one ready, available, and sent on mission. "Here I am, send me/' he
responds to Ignatius, and the following day he leaves Rome for
Portugal and the Far East. In accordance with the mandate given
him, he would not stay in India, but undertake a series of further
missions to Malacca. Then after discernment he traveled to Japan,
and finally he set out to go to China. There was a change not only
in location but also a change and development in his theology or
strategy of mission. One can speak of a conversion on the part of
Xavier, in response to what he saw and experienced. This was for
him the call of the Spirit.

In the holy Church, I implored God, with continual prayer, to
make known to me his will, which I have fully made up my mind
not to fail to accomplish, for I am confident that he who gives the
will would also give the strength to accomplish it. Then, with great
joy, I understood that God desired me to go to Malacca. I hope
much that God will give me great help for my voyage. I am firmly
resolved to accomplish what, by God's divine inspiration, I have
decided upon. (127, §1, in a slightly different translation)

In the case of Xavier, the new meant what was untried and
unknown. He knew there were dangers and hardships involved, but
he saw this as part of the mission to bring the Gospel to the Far
East.

My friends and those who are devoted to me are appalled by my
undertaking such a long and dangerous voyage [to China]. But I am
more terrified than they at seeing what little faith they have, since
God our Lord has power and dominion over the tempests of the seas
of China and Japan. . . .

God our Lord has power over all these. I do not have the least
fear except of God, that he might inflict some punishment upon me
for being negligent in his service, unfit and useless for spreading the
name of Jesus Christ among peoples who do not know him. All the
other fears, dangers, and tribulations told me by my friends I count
as naught.36

The substance of this citation comes from Brodrick, Xavier, 345 f., which in
turn relies upon Schurhammer. The letter that forms the basis of this citation is
found among Xavier's letters, p. 248. In it Xavier writes to Simao Rodriguez from
Cochin on Feb. 1, 1549.

26 <0> Peter Schineller, SJ.

'm&mxMmm&M

Xavier knows that apostolic availability means for him a call to the
new and untried, to the unknown and the dangerous. Yet he re-
sponds generously and hopefully: "As this voyage to China is
difficult and full of peril, I know not whether it will succeed, but I
still have good hopes/'37

Ever Searching for the Magis

Xavier was sent not only to India, but to the larger area of the
Far East. The search for the magis led him to explore the possibilities
of mission work in Japan. He had heard of the advanced cultures of
the people there, "a race with great desire for knowledge" (Letters
and Instructions, 177, §15). This would not be simply another few
days' journey from India, but an arduous journey of several thou-
sand miles further east from India. Eventually too he set his sights
on China, having heard of the potential there for the Gospel.

Some years later, Valignano, the Jesuit visitor and superior of
those in the Far East, notes the change in tactics undertaken by
Xavier as he began work in Japan. He changed his mode of proce-
dure and changed his dress, no longer appearing in the guise of
extreme poverty. Valignano explains the reason for this:

From experience he realized that, by going about miserably clad
and scornful of self, he not only did not further his plans for God's
honor but positively hindered them. The Japanese, true to their
penchant for ceremonial and public marks of esteem, had no concep-
tion of the meaning of humility and mortification (as hitherto prac-
ticed by Xavier). For that reason he decided from now on to dress
and behave in another manner, thus showing a genuine contempt of
self, seeking in all he did God's honor alone, for whose sake he
embraced, indifferently, either prestige or contempt. They accord-
ingly returned to Yamaguchi better clad and accompanied by two or
three servants with the viceroy's and bishop's letters and presents.38

Lacouture speaks very positively of this significant shift or
development in Xavier, calling it a genuine conversion. In his view it
could be considered a prelude to the missionary method of Mateo
Ricci, which was based upon a positive understanding of the culture

Brodrick, Xavier, 523.

Alessandro Valignano, Mission Principles for Japan, vol. 1, ed. Josef Schuette
(St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1980), 320.

In Their Own Words 4- 27

of the Chinese.39 Thus we might characterize this shift as a move
from mass conversions in India, to dialogue and interchange with
the religious traditions of Japan. Xavier's strategy in Japan had mixed
results. He himself did not convert many in Japan, but he left things
in place for his successors. Reportedly they made thirty thousand
converts in the next twenty years. On a personal level, the mission-
ary effort in Japan was very satisfying, as Xavier writes with a note
of triumphalism eighteen months before his death:

The difficulties encountered in working with an intelligent race
that is eager to know in what law one is to be saved bring with them
very great consolations, so much so, in fact, that in Yamaguchi after
the duke had given us permission to preach the law of God, so
many people came to ask questions and to argue with us that it
seems to me that I can truthfully say that I had never before in my
life received so much pleasure and spiritual consolation as I did in
seeing that God our Lord confounded the pagans through us and
the victory which we were constantly gaining over them. (Letters and
Instructions, 342 f.)

As a result of this pioneer missionary work, according to O'Malley,
"Jesuits came to believe that Japan was their most promising mission
in the East/'40

Xavier wanted to proceed further. He set his sights on China.
China was highly praised by the Japanese whom he got to know
and respect. He heard that Japan had received much of its wisdom
from China, and he reasoned that if China was converted, then
conversion in Japan would be easier. He held high hopes for mis-
sionary work in China, and hoped that eventually many Jesuits
would go there. Of course, this was not to be, and he died on the
island of Sancian in sight of his destination.

See chap. 4, "Francis Xavier, Orientalist/' in Lacouture, Jesuits.

John O'Malley, The First Jesuits (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University

Press, 1993), 77.

28 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

III. Peter Favre

Life in the Spirit

A Deep Personal Love for Jesus Christ

Peter Favre, already studying for the priesthood, came to
know, love, and serve God in a deeper way after making the Exer-
cises under Ignatius. He then became, in the words of Ignatius, the
one who was most proficient in sharing the Exercises.

As O'Malley explains, Favre and the first Jesuits saw much of
their ministry as similar to that of Jesus in the Fourth Week of the
Exercises, namely, Jesus Christ bringing the consolation of the resur-
rection to his followers (SpEx 82-84). Favre makes this explicit in his
Memoriale when he recounts how on one occasion he awoke at
midnight, prayed for others, and hoped to be a minister of Christ
the Consoler.

I called to mind Christ the Redeemer, Christ the Consoler, Christ the
Giver of Life who enlightens and succors, the merciful and compas-
sionate one who is our Lord and our God. . . .

Then with great fervor and a totally new awareness, I wished and
petitioned that I might at last be allowed to become the servant and
the minister of Christ who consoles, helps, delivers, heals, liberates,
saves, enriches, and strengthens.41

He reflects on how celebration and participation at Mass leads to this
personal, loving devotion to Jesus Christ, and to the response of
love.

Christ gives himself to me at Mass — and does the same in my
prayers and works. So I should surrender myself to him in every
way. I should give myself not only to him directly, but also — to all
my neighbors, good and bad — . . . out of love for him, preaching,
teaching, doing good.

There is, therefore, an unending need of turning one's spirit
toward the road that leads to the Cross, since Christ Crucified is the

Most of the references to Favre will be from the Spiritual Writings of Pierre
Fame: The "Memoriale" and Selected Letters and Instructions, ed. Edmond C. Murphy and
John Padberg (St. Louis: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1996). Here the reference is to
p. 157, §151. In this essay we will abbreviate this source to Spiritual Writings and
specify the page and section number in that book.

In Their Own Words <$- 29

true way to the glory of both soul and body; indeed, not only the
Way, but also the Truth and the Life.42

He then prays that ''all my interior, and especially my heart, may
open and make way for Christ as he enters, leaving a place for him
in the centre of the heart" (ibid). This Christ-centered spirituality is
further explained in the Memoriale. He explains himself more clearly:

I must strive to find Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the
life, first in the center of my heart, and below, that is, within me;
then above me, by means of my mind; and outside me, by means of
my senses. (Spiritual Writings, 244, §307)

He reflects on one particular encounter with Jesus Christ at Mass.
Favre then offers the beautiful description of the Eucharist as "the
sacrament of truth/'

The same day at Mass, while I was holding in my hands the most
precious Body of the Lord, I had an intense awareness of what it is
to be in the presence of the sacrament of truth, the sacred sign
containing in itself all truth and all goodness. (197, §223)

Favre also offers us one example of how his prayer was Christ-
centered:

O Jesus Christ, may your death be my life; may I learn to find life in
your death. May your labors be my rest, your human weakness my
strength. May your humiliation be my source of glory, your passion
my delight, your sadness my joy. May your abasement be my uplift-
ing— in short, may your sufferings be all I possess. For you, O my
Lord, have renewed a life drifting hopelessly towards death and you
destroyed death, which seemed destined to remain forever, never to
be dissolved. (149, §137)

Favre also desired to instill in others this personal love for Jesus
Christ. Thus, in 1545 he writes back to the scholastics he had visited
in Coimbra:

And so, fare you well, and always serve Christ the Lord with
gladness, for he is the source of all welfare. Let your whole concern
be only this: to cling to no one but Jesus, who can never be taken
away from you. . . .

Only one medium should remain between any of us; Christ, the
mediator between God and men, who is all things in all. It is he that

Cited in Bangert, Other Towns, 162 f .

30 <► Peter Schineller, SJ.

we should keep always present to us, and it is in him that each of us
should look for himself and his brother. We should seek each other
and mutually behold each other in our origin, our cause, our princi-
ple. (373 f.)

Contemplative in Action

Favre translated this Ignatian phrase into flesh and blood as
he moved about Europe. He was living the Fourth Week of the
Exercises, going about, like Christ the Comforter, bringing consolation
to Christians seeking to rekindle their faith in the face of the Protes-
tant Reformation. William Bangert, biographer of Peter Favre, calls
him par excellence, "the contemplative in the midst of work — envi-
saged by St. Ignatius — as the ideal for his sons."43

His Memoriale is a marvelous personal document that shows
how regularly and continually Favre related and interwove his
prayer and his work, contemplation and action. Much of his prayer
becomes a prayer of petition in reaction to events and personal
encounters. Of the many examples we offer a few:

On January 10, Favre's reflection on Christmas and the Christ
Child leads him to pray concretely.

Here I was inspired to pray fervently for all little children — even
for those still in the womb — for they have not the knowledge or
ability to pray, or to act, or to recognize the good gifts already given
or to be given in the future through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Spiritual
Writings, 2J02, §227)

Wfhile in Coimbra, witnessing the destructive power of the
wind and rains, he describes how he is led to pray for flood victims,
whose houses, goods, were destroyed (see ibid., 288, §393-94).

During his travels, on seeing a funeral procession, he reflects
on the marvelous resurrection, recalls that we are dust, yet our
bodies are destined for glory. He thanks God for the good he is able
to accomplish through this mortal body (see ibid., 100 f., §55).

On a journey to Ratisbon, he looks back over the graces and
insights he received. We see clearly how he is grateful for the ability
to see and find God in all things, to turn all events into prayer.

Other Towns, vii.

In Their Own Words ^ 31

On the journey you received great consolations in different prayers
and contemplations, and you were given many new methods and
subjects of prayer as you traveled along. For example, as you drew
near to some place and looked at it or heard it talked about, you
received a method of asking grace from our Lord that the archangel
of that region with all the angel guardians of its inhabitants might be
well disposed to us. . . .

I prayed for an increase of the plenty I saw around me; I gave
thanks for it on behalf of its owners or sought pardon for them
because spiritually they are unable to recognize those blessings nor
the hand they come from. (75 f., §21)

Favre lived his early life as a shepherd and farmhand in the
hills of France. As he journeyed through Europe, he was very aware
of the turn of the seasons. In his Memoriale, as a new year begins he
reflects on time, the upcoming year, and the four seasons to the
spiritual life:

A holy desire led me to wish that my soul might have four
spiritual seasons during this coming year: a winter, so that the seeds
sown in the soil of my soul by God might be tended and so be
enabled to put down roots; a spring, so that my piece of earth might
germinate and grow its crop; a summer, so that the fruit might ripen
into an abundant harvest; and an autumn, so that the ripe fruit
might be picked and gathered into the divine barns for safekeeping
lest any of it be lost. (190, §206)

As he moves into a new dwelling on his journey, he looks
back, reflects, and simply prays over the different lodgings in which
he has lived in his lifetime. He reflects on how God has guided and
protected him even in his restlessness and his wanderings. He notes
that some lodgings were wretched, filthy, and cold, and at times he
had to sleep in the open air. Then he offers this prayer:

May he be blessed forever who protected us in all these situa-
tions— myself and all those in the same or different situations! For all
this, I thanked God, hoping for his protection in this new abode of
mine as well. (231, §286 f.)

On another occasion he looks back in gratitude for how God
has been present to him through the ministry of priests. He recalls
the priests who heard his confessions, and

I similarly remembered the priest who had baptized me, the one
who had confirmed me, those who had conferred sacred orders on

32 <0> Peter Schineller, S.J.

me, and in general all those who had administered any of the
sacraments to me. (180 f., 190)

He then prayerfully recalls those who were his teachers, again with
a grateful memory for their love, service, and dedication.

In a remarkable, insightful, better-known passage, Favre
reflects explicitly on the relation between contemplation and action,
between finding God in prayer and finding God in action. This
remarkable passage has much significance for those whose goal is an
apostolic spirituality. Favre records his reflections:

I then noted . . . that, by seeking God in good works through the
spirit, one will more readily find him afterwards in prayer than if
one had sought him first in prayer so as to find him subsequently in
good works, as is often done.

For he who seeks and finds the spirit of Christ in good works
makes much more solid progress than the person whose activity is
limited to prayer alone. So then, to possess Christ in our actions or to
possess him in our prayer often amounts to either an "effective" or
an "affective" possession. (141, §126)

He goes on to explain that his own life should have something of
Martha and Mary in it. He should apply himself both to prayer and
to holy works. In short, his life should unite the active and contem-
plative lives.

Favre then continues, explaining that, in contrast to those
living the life of contemplation, those in the active apostolic life
cultivate specific virtues and specific emphases in virtues. Apostolic
workers need "a particular kind of patience, humility, and charity,
accompanied by other virtues, for work with the poor and the sick,
with sinners, or their persecutors or others" (142, §127).

In a word, Favre presents and lives the Ignatian ideal of
finding God and loving God in all things — an ideal for himself and
for others.

Oh, that the time may soon come when I contemplate and love
no creature without God and, rather, contemplate and love God in
all things or at least fear him! That would raise me to the knowledge
of God in himself and, in the end, all things in him, so that he
would be for me all in all for eternity. (244, §306)

Let me add another way in which Favre echoes the mind and
heart of Ignatius. Recall the epithet applied to Ignatius during the
celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the Society of Jesus.

In Their Own Words <$- 33

"Non coerceri maximo, contineri tamen a minimo, divinum est/'44
One of the many translations of this packed phrase would be 'To
suffer no restriction from anything however great, and yet to be
contained in the tiniest of things: that is divine/' This succinctly
describes Ignatius as one who had the greatest, most universal
vision, but was also able to do the next small, particular action
needed. Ignatius, with the broadest of vision, searched always for
the magis, but he also accomplished the task at hand, however small
or minute. In a similar way, Favre advises that we should

[s]eek grace for the smallest things, and you will also find grace to
accomplish, to believe in, and to hope for the greatest things. Attend
to the smallest things, examine them, think about putting them into
effect, and the Lord will grant you greater. (159, §153)

He adds this note of caution: "Many seek anxiously ... for grace to
perform good works of a more general kind while neglecting in the
meantime particular tasks for which it would have been easy to find
grace" (ibid.).

In the spirit of Ignatius, Favre encourages great desires, believ-
ing that they come from God. But these must at the same time come
down to earth, to ordinary, everyday affairs. "God often causes us to
desire and to envisage the most exalted things, to place our hope in
them in order that we may accomplish readily and without diffi-
dence at least quite ordinary things" (160, §155). Perhaps more than
any other of the First Companions, Favre learned from Ignatius how
to seek and find God in all things. Thus, as Bangert put it,

Peter learned this lesson personally from Ignatius, so well indeed
that his life of labor and his life of prayer blended into one unified
act of love and service of God. One admirer of Peter has called him
"un Chartreux itinerant" — a Carthusian of the Highway.45

A contemporary and friend of Favre, in fact the Carthusian prior
Girard recounted this about the Jesuit:

Master Peter says: From everything you see or hear always draw
some fruit, and turn it into an occasion of either a feeling of com-
punction, or the recitation of a prayer, or an expression of God's

The epithet is found in the centenary volume, Imago primi saeculi, published
in 1640. Hugo Rahner discusses its meaning in "Die Grabschrift des Loyola," Stimmen
der Zeit 139 (1946-47): 321-37.

Bangert, Other Towns, 95.

34 <$- Peter Schineller, S.J.

praise, or an incentive to reproduce in one's own life what is worthy
of imitation, (cited ibid., 199)

Apostolic Prayer and Spirituality

An important element of Favre's life and mission was to pray
for particular persons, especially important leaders. In his Memoriale
he reports that he prays explicitly for the Pope, the Emperor, the
Kings of France and England. He prays for Luther and Melanch-
thon — adding that he overlooks their faults (see Spiritual Writings,
127, §102). He celebrates Mass for France and prays for its leaders, its
abbeys, parishes, and universities. He feels much devotion in these
prayers (see ibid., 127, §102). This echoes the apostolic prayer of
Ignatius with his constant request for prayers for our benefactors, for
the Pope and bishops. So too, in the mind of Ignatius the first
responsibility of the rector is to sustain the whole college by his
prayers and holy desires (see Cons., 174, §424).

Noteworthy too in Favre is his special devotion to saints and
angels. Nadal, friend and admirer of Favre, presents this as the
advice of Favre for those about to undertake a journey.

When we enter a city or town, we should invoke its angels,
archangels and patron saints. In our greeting to them and in our
request for their help, we should be as familiar with them as though
we were paying a visit to our fellowmen. . . . We should give thanks
for the blessings showered on that region, for the fruits of the earth,
the streams and all such things, reflecting how great is the number
who receive all these blessings and how few there are who give
thanks to God. . . .

When we happen to meet unknown persons on the road, be they
soldiers or others, we should close our minds to suspicious thought
and think but good of them. In our heart we should wish them well
and think how we might be united with them in the bond of char-
ity.... If something untoward should happen, we should receive it as
coming not from man but from God without Whose providential
guidance nothing can take place.46

In the age of the Lutheran reforms, when interest in relics and
devotions to saints were being criticized, Favre continued to find
great strength in these devotions. In the Catholic tradition, he found

Bangert, Other Towns, 96 f.

In Their Own Words <$- 35

that the sacramentals, as well as the seven sacraments, led him to
God. On one occasion, he describes his reactions when he was
entering a church: "[T]he ceremonies, the lights, the organ, the
chanting, the splendor of the relics and the decorations — all these
gave me such a great feeling of devotion that I could not explain it"
{Spiritual Writings, 118, §87).

As a result, he blesses the organ, the organist, and the benefac-
tors, the choir, and the music too. He then reflects, somewhat po-
lemically, on how he esteems "the least of these devotional activities,
performed with a simple Catholic faith, more highly than a thou-
sand degrees of that idle faith, made so much of by those who ill
agree with the hierarchical Church" (118 f., §87).

Yet we must add that this devotional Catholicism, while it
frequently relates to sacramentals and saints, is rooted in the cross
and in the paschal mystery, which is at the heart of the Spiritual
Exercises. During Holy Week, for example, Favre meditates on the
wood of the cross, the tree of life that produces fruit (see 225-28,
§273-81). He speaks of his own need to die on the cross, be buried,
and then experience a resurrection of the body.

Union of Minds and Hearts

Peter Favre, the first priest of the Society, earned the greatest
of respect and love from the other First Companions. He was gifted
with the art and grace of conversation, something very important in
the eyes of Ignatius. Thus Simao Rodrigues pays a wonderful tribute
to Favre, describing him as

endowed with charming grace in dealing with people, which up to
now I must confess I have not seen in anyone else. Somehow he
entered into friendship in such a way, bit by bit coming to influence
others in such a manner, that his very way of living and his gracious
conversation powerfully drew to the love of God all those with
whom he dealt.47

Simao Rodrigues, A Brief and Exact Account (St. Louis: Institute of Jesuit

Sources, 2004), 5.

36 <$> Peter Schineller, S.J.

An Apostolic Body in the Church

Favre clearly saw himself and the other First Companions as
members of an apostolic body, in service to the Church. In the name
of the First Companions, he wrote back to their old principal at the
University of Paris to explain their present status and their reason
for special obedience to the pope:

All of us who have bound ourselves together in this Society have
pledged ourselves to the supreme pontiff, since he is the master of
Christ's whole harvest. When we made this offering of ourselves to
him, we indicated that we were prepared for anything that he might
decide in Christ for us. Accordingly, if he will send us there where
you are calling us, we shall gladly go. The reason why we subjected
ourselves to his will and judgment in this manner was that we knew
that he has a greater knowledge of what is expedient for Christianity
as a whole.48

During his all-too-brief apostolic life as a Jesuit, he served the
Church by traveling extensively through Europe. One memorable
part of this mission to build up the apostolic body of the Society
involved recruiting the young Peter Canisius through the Exercises.
Originally from Nijmegen, Canisius traveled to Mainz from Cologne,
where he had just completed university studies There he made the
Exercises and found his vocation to be a Jesuit. Favre was truly
instrumental in establishing the Society in Germany.

Like Francis Xavier, Favre rejoiced when he received news of
the companions. The letters he received from Xavier in India
brought him joy, consolation, and spiritual strength. He once wrote
as follows in a letter to Ignatius:

May God grant that you receive at least some of the letters I send
and that you realize the desire we have to learn about you and,
through you, about all the rest of our men and houses. So far we
have received not the least bit of news. . . . Each week, indeed, each
day, I feel new pain because I am not receiving your letters.49

This is found in several sources, e.g., Sancti Ignatii de Loyola: Epistolee et
instruc Hones, vol. 1, vol. 22 of the Monumenta historica Societatis Iesu (Rome:
Institutum historicum Societatis Iesu, 1964), 132 f. Joseph Conwell, in his Impelling
Spirit (Chicago: Loyola Press, 1997), 119, provides further information on the back-
ground of this quotation.

49 Cited in Paul Mallia, The Story of Three Friends (Nairobi: St. Paul Publica-
tions, 1993), 74.

In Their Own Words ^ 37

Favre expressed solidarity and love for his Jesuit brothers
through his prayers for them. At the time, a feast was celebrated
each year on July 15, after the Ascension, recalling "the dispersion of
the Apostles." As was his custom, Favre reflects on this feast, and
adds, "there occurred to me also many prayers of commendation for
my scattered brothers" (Spiritual Writings, 93, §46).

In a letter to a priest who later joined the Society, Favre
expressed his belief in the importance of unity in the Society:

[Y]ou must conceive, by way of foundation, a powerful and unflag-
ging desire for the Society's peace and union of hearts to be pre-
served and increased not only by your own efforts, but by each and
every man living in the Society; and you will (if need be) devote
your own concern and efforts to their persevering and progressing in
this humility and union of the members with the body. (330)

Then, very much in accord with the mind of Ignatius, he
urges the priest to find positive traits rather than faults in others.
"You should . . . examine with sharp eyes and imitate those virtues
and behaviors of your brothers which most conform to the Rules"
(331, §3). With insight and wisdom, he explains that, when observing
a displeasing word or act in another, "You should look at it carefully
and ask whether what appears evil or disgraceful in your brother's
exterior may not be present, even more evilly and disgracefully, in
your own soul" (332, §7). This same attitude of self-criticism is found
in a letter on obedience to the Jesuits in Coimbra. He explains that
seeing a fault in another should not lead to ill will. He concludes his
letter with advice to turn one's criticism inward to one's own faults:

[TJhat will give me plenty of material for judgment — and I should
never grant myself a pardon for anything. As Seneca says, "Spare
others, never yourself.'7 Amen. Amen. Once more Amen. (372)

We return again to the deep love and hope that Favre had for
the Society. He reflects upon this in his Memoriale:

With regard to our Society (concern for which never leaves me,
by a grace of God), I felt a desire which had aroused great devotion
at other times. It was that the Society might one day grow sufficient-
ly in numbers and in virtue to be capable, through the quantity and
quality of its members, of restoring at some time the ruins of all
religious orders, the present ruins and those soon to come — unless
God intervenes. (219, §265)

38 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

:::::::;::ft:S:M::::::x::::::W

The mission facing the Church and the Society of Jesus was daunt-
ing, and so he prays for an increase of vocations to the Society:

May Jesus send us persons of a faith, hope, and charity so univer-
sally Catholic and of a spirit so universal and so open as to concern
itself with the restoration of all the ancient orders of the Church.
(220, §265)

While he looks to the body of the Society to carry out great work for
the Church during the struggles of the Reformation, he sees himself
humbly as Christ's broom to help others. Then he extends the image
to the entire Society:

I wished too that our whole Society might be destined by God for
this: that Christ, who has in his dwelling, the Church, so many
illustrious instruments, might deign to begin cleaning out his dwell-
ing in our time and, for this purpose, make use of and shape us and
all future members of the Society into the first, and in a sense, the
most menial implements, brooms, that is. (313, §441)

Mission

Favre was the missionary on pilgrimage. His energy was put
into sharing the Spiritual Exercises, preaching, teaching, and hearing
confessions of church and civic leaders. In a letter he wrote to
Ignatius, he described what he did as he entered Mainz. "Upon
arriving here, we entered upon some spiritual conversations and
arrangements to give the Exercises" (339).

Conversation, as mentioned above, was to build up the Soci-
ety, but also a key instrument in his apostolic work. In another
place, he speaks of this as "personal exhortation." Favre's warm
personality, his irresistible charm, attracted people to friendship,
frequently led to the sacrament of confession, and beyond that to
their making the Spiritual Exercises under his guidance. Gentle
conversation would be a hallmark of his approach to both the
reform of the Church and the preservation of Christian unity.

In Solidarity with Those Most in Need

His heart was moved, as his travels brought him face to face
with poverty. In his Memoriale he explains how his prayer led him at
least to desire to help and serve those in need.

In Their Own Words ^ 39

And then, at night prayer, I felt strongly inspired to do my very
utmost to provide for the needy and the homeless sick wandering
about the city of Mainz, a hospice where they could be gathered . . .
and given shelter, and receive treatment and recover their health.50

A letter to Xavier, far off in India, lists some of his activities in
Cologne. These include preaching, sharing the Exercises, and a
special ministry to students who he hoped would receive religious
and priestly vocations (Spiritual Writings, 363). In the city of Ratisbon,
he notes, there are over six thousand beggars, and several thousand
strangers, newcomers who arrive from the countryside. He reflects
on his inadequacy to address these needs and wishes he had a flair
for business, so that he could do more to alleviate the problems. He
would like to gather the homeless and give them shelter and a place
where they could receive medical treatment (see 162 f., §159).

Whenever he could not concretely address the social problems,
he prayed constantly, and he experienced that his prayer increased
his desire to act.

There came to my mind the manifold afflictions of men: their
diseases, their sins and their obduracy, their moods of despair and
their tears, disasters, famines, plagues, woes, and other trials; and on
the other hand, as a remedy for all these, I called to mind Christ the
Redeemer, Christ the Consoler, Christ the Giver of Life who enlight-
ens and succors, the merciful and compassionate one who is our
Lord and our God. Calling on all the power in those titles of his, I
prayed that he might come to all men and relieve their needs.

Then with great fervor and a totally new awareness, I wished and
petitioned that I might at last be allowed to become the servant and
the minister of Christ, who consoles, helps, delivers, heals, liberates,
saves, enriches, and strengthens. I asked that I also, through him,
might be enabled to come to the aid of many, to console them and
free them from many ills, to deliver and strengthen them, to bring
them light not in spiritual matters alone but also (if I may be allowed
the boldness of presuming it in God) in a material way, together
with whatever charity can do for the soul and body of any of my
fellowmen. (157, §151)

His own commitment to good works was strong and unwavering: "I
wished to be given grace not to let a day pass without some notable

Bangert, Other Towns, 160.

40 <0> Peter Schineller, SJ.

::::::::::::::::::x:::::x:::x:::::x:x:::::x:::::::::::::::::::x::x>:::::::::::x:x:

fruit. For God gives us life to work out our salvation, and he assigns
some good work for each day" (291, §398).

Favre even saw the hearing of confessions as a way of reach-
ing out to the poor. With remarkable insight into the social nature of
the sacrament, as a confessor he urged his penitents to reach out to
others:

[WJhile hearing confessions, I considered that a confessor should not
only take care of the soul that submits itself to him to be instructed,
admonished, corrected, and led to perfection, but should also see to
it that his penitents bring help and comfort to all those — the dead,
sinners, or others — who may be in material or spiritual need. (281,
§373)

Partnership with Others

Even though Favre often traveled alone throughout the
northern countries, he continually enlisted others to assist in the
work of renewal. We can see Favre reaching out to church and civic
leaders as possible collaborators. He writes these words from Ger-
many:

On three occasions I explained at length to him [the Bishop of
Speyer] the work of the Company and he showed that he was very
impressed. He invited me to dinner last Thursday, the very day he
invited the Duke of Bavaria, the brother of the Count Palatine, and
the Archbishop of Trier. I spoke to all of them about the work of the
Company.51

He adds that "the outcome of it all is that he [the bishop] was very
much inclined to make the Exercises." According to Bangert, he
frequently gave the Exercises to bishops and vicars general, devoting
as much as one hour a day to each of the retreatants. Writing to
Ignatius, Favre explains how in the city of Parma he gave the Exer-
cises to priests and how "some of the parish priests are giving the
Exercises to their subjects" (Spiritual Writings, 319). He then adds that
the message of the Exercises has spread through the schoolmasters,
"some of whom have even given the initial Exercises to a number of
their capable students." In this way, many have been brought back
to the Church. He adds that those who made the Exercises then

Letter to Ignatius of January 25, 1541, cited ibid., 94.

In Their Own Words ^ 41

incorporate insights and ideas from the Exercises into their sermons,
and this too has had a powerful impact — reaping many fruits (see
ibid., 320).

In Parma, Favre formed a confraternity of laypersons, and
composed for them a rule of life. In this way, the fruits of the Exer-
cises would grow and be handed on. In addition to this collabora-
tion with the laity, he shared the Exercises with priests and chal-
lenged those living in concubinage to reform their lives.

Called to Learned Ministry

At the end of his missionary journey through Europe, Peter
Favre returned to Rome and prepared to assist at the Council of
Trent. Obviously Ignatius appreciated his theological expertise. In
the words of his biographer, Mary Purcell, he was "not a profes-
sional theologian/7 but had a "perception of mysteries which experi-
ence yields, the wisdom imprinted by piety and matured by discern-
ment, reflection of a particular type born of personal encounters
with Jesus Christ."52 In his relationship with followers of Luther, he
shows remarkable insight and an ecumenical attitude far ahead of
his times. He was able to engage in dialogue with respect and love.
This surely contributed to his pastoral effectiveness.

On one occasion, while Lainez was at the Council of Trent, he
wrote to Favre asking for advice on how to relate to the followers of
Luther. Favre offered a number of suggestions:

Remember, if we want to be of help to them [converts to Protes-
tantism] we must be careful to regard them with love, to love them
in deed and in truth, and to banish from our own souls any thought
that might lessen our love and esteem for them.

We have to win their good will so that they will love us and
readily confide in us. This can be done by speaking familiarly with
them on subjects about which we agree, and by avoiding points of
discussion that might give rise to argument: for argument usually
ends in one side lording it over the other. Neither should we act
towards the Lutherans as though they were pagans, but rather
address ourselves to a man's will, to his heart, as a means of ap-
proaching with prudence matters of faith. . . .

Purcell, Quiet Companion, 54.

42 <0> Peter Schineller, S.J.

The man who can speak with the heretics on a holy life, on
virtue and prayer, will do far more good for them than those who,
in the name of authority, set out to confound them by sheer weight
of theological argument.53

True to his natural gift and grace for friendly conversation,
Favre found himself ineffective in large gatherings. He judged that
the colloquies or meetings of theologians were not constructive in
promoting unity. He emphasized spiritual ecumenism, and saw the
problem of unity to be at bottom a question of spirituality. If both
sides were to grow in holiness and put on Christ, then renewal,
reform, and reunion might succeed. His key instrument towards this
spiritual renewal was the sharing of the Exercises.

Drawing on his pastoral experience and his emphasis on the
pastoral dimension of mission, he wrote a long document to a fellow
priest on how to hear confessions (Spiritual Writings, 356-61). He
urges giving positive, constructive suggestions on ways to improve
one's prayer and life of charity. True to his character, Favre urges the
priest to be gentle and kind, emphasizing the love and forgiveness
of God. The penitent should leave with the clear desire to return to
the same confessor because of his kind advice. In this way Favre was
truly an inspiration for the first Jesuits in their important ministry of
reconciliation.

St. Peter Canisius, a Doctor of the Church, writes of the man
who led him into the Society:

Never have I seen or heard a more learned and more profound
theologian or a man of such striking and remarkable holiness. No
word of his is not filled with God, and never does he become weari-
some to his listeners.54

Ever Searching for the Magis

In his seven years of ministry throughout Europe, Favre
followed in the footsteps of the early Ignatius, the pilgrim searching
for where he could do the greater good for the reform of the Church
and the spread of the Catholic faith. What began as a mission to the

Cited ibid., viii-ix, 163 f. The complete letter is found in Spiritual Writings,

379-81.

Cited in Bangert, Xavier, 148, and Mallia, Story of Three Friends, 72.

In Their Own Words <$> 43

north from Rome, turned out to be a pilgrim journey of over seven
thousand miles, for a period of seven years. In his search for the
greater good for the mission, he traveled from Germany to Holland,
to Spain, to Portugal, France, Switzerland, and eventually back to
Italy and Rome, where he ended his life's journey before he was able
to assist at the Council of Trent. The title of Bangert's biography
accurately describes his ministry: like the Lord he served, he was
called "to the other towns."

While he practiced such availability in his own mission, he
also exhorted younger Jesuits to apostolic mobility. After a visit to
scholastics in Coimbra, he wrote a letter exhorting them to remain
free from attachments and free for God alone.

Thus a man in obedience must never settle down to rest in any place
or in any particular work subject to obedience, even if he experiences
a holy and unmistakable spirit for it — not rest in it, I mean, in such a
way that he loses his readiness for whatever obedience may enjoin.
(Spiritual Writings, 371)

In his Memoriale, we see Favre very clearly, consciously reflect-
ing on his work, on the people he meets, the cities he is in or to
which he is bound. In and through these everyday events, he
prayerfully seeks God's will. Where can he achieve the greater good?
With whom can he share the treasure of the Spiritual Exercises?
Without the acclaim of Ignatius or Xavier, Blessed Peter Favre can be
remembered as a faithful, zealous laborer in the Lord's vineyard, as
all Jesuits are called to be.

Conclusion

Ignatius, Xavier, and Favre faced a new world: the expansion of
the Church from Europe to Africa, India, the Far East, and the
Americas; the era of the Reformation in Europe; the world of
print and science. They shaped their ministry in the light of these
new movements of history. In the midst of unprecedented social
change, they maintained a strong life in the Spirit, valued compan-
ionship with their brother Jesuits, and nurtured a zealous dedication
to mission.

In the fast-moving and ever-changing world of today, we their
followers, are expected to be pioneers. In accepting this challenge,

44 ^ Peter Schineller, S.J.

we constantly return to our basic classic and foundational docu-
ments, the writings of Ignatius as in the Exercises, the Constitutions,
and his letters. But as we see here, we can also profit much from
examining lives, activities, and writings of Xavier and Favre. Reflect-
ing on their words and works can deepen our awareness of the
three charisms of Jesuit life that animated them in their day and
inspire us in ours: life in the Spirit, union of minds and hearts, and
commitment to mission.

We do not lack men of vision in our own day. Another study
might include Jesuits like Pedro Arrupe, Teilhard de Chardin, Karl
Rahner, Juan Luis Segundo, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ciszek,
the martyrs of El Salvador. The times are different, but the motiva-
tion is the same. But in this jubilee year we can begin by reflecting
on the three friends, Ignatius, Xavier, and Favre. This jubilee year is
an opportunity for individuals, communities, and provinces to
examine our roots more attentively and examine how best we can
carry forth the best of our traditions.

In his allocution to General Congregation 34, Pope John Paul
II cited his predecessor Pope Paul VI, who encouraged the Society of
Jesus to continue its work today in the spirit of its past.

Wherever in the Church, even in the most difficult and extreme
fields, in the crossroads of ideologies, in the front line between the
deepest human desires and the perennial message of the Gospel,
there have been, and there are, Jesuits. (GC 34, 253, §8)

Past Issues: Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits

(For prices, see inside back cover.)

1/1 Sheets, Profile of the Contemporary Jesuit (Sept. 1969)
1/2 Ganss, Authentic Spiritual Exercises: History and Terminology (Nov. 1969)
2/1 Burke, Institution and Person (Feb. 1970)
2/2 Futrell, Ignatian Discernment (Apr. 1970)
2/3 Lonergan, Response of the Jesuit as Priest and Apostle (Sept. 1970)
3/1 Wright, Grace of Our Founder and the Grace of Our Vocation (Feb. 1971)
3/2 O'Flaherty, Some Reflections on Jesuit Commitment (Apr. 1971)
3/4 Toner, A Method for Communal Discernment of God's Will (Sept. 1971)
3/5 Sheets, Toward a Theology of the Religious Life (Nov. 1971)
4/2 Two Discussions: I. Spiritual Direction, II. Leadership and Authority (Mar. 1972)
4/3 Orsy, Some Questions about the Purpose and Scope of the General Congregation (June 1972)
4/4 Ganss, Wright, O'Malley, O'Donovan, Dulles, On Continuity and Change: A Symposium
(Oct. 1972)
5/1-2 O'Flaherty, Renewal: Call and Response (Jan.-Mar. 1973)
5/3 Arrupe, McNaspy, The Place of Art in Jesuit Life (Apr. 1973)
5/4 Haughey, The Pentecostal Thing and Jesuits (June 1973)
5/5 Orsy, Toward a Theological Evaluation of Communal Discernment (Oct. 1973)
6/3 Knight, Joy and Judgment in Religious Obedience (Apr. 1974)
7/1 Wright, Ganss, Orsy, On Thinking with the Church Today (Jan. 1975)
7/2 Ganss, Christian Life Communities from the Sodalities (Mar. 1975)
7/3 Connolly, Contemporary Spiritual Direction: Scope and Principles Qune 1975)
7/5 Buckley, The Confirmation of a Promise; Padberg, Continuity and Change in General

Congregation XXXII (Nov. 1975)
8/1 O'Neill, Acatamiento: Ignatian Reverence (Jan. 1976)
8/2-3 De la Costa, Sheridan, and others, On Becoming Poor: A Symposium on Evangelical Poverty
(Mar.-May 1976)
8/4 Faricy, Jesuit Community: Community of Prayer (Oct. 1976)
9/1-2 Becker, Changes in U.S. Jesuit Membership, 1958-75; Others, Reactions and Explanations
(Jan.-Mar. 1977)
9/4 Connolly, Land, Jesuit Spiritualities and the Struggle for Social Justice (Sept. 1977).
9/5 Gill, A Jesuit's Account of Conscience (Nov. 1977)

10/1 Kammer, "Burn-Out"— Dilemma for the Jesuit Social Activist (Jan. 1978)
10/4 Harvanek, Status of Obedience in the Society of Jesus; Others, Reactions to Connolly-Land

(Sept. 1978)
11/1 Clancy, Feeling Bad about Feeling Good (Jan. 1979)

11/2 Maruca, Our Personal Witness as Power to Evangelize Culture (Mar. 1979)
11/3 Klein, American Jesuits and the Liturgy (May 1979)
11/5 Conwell, The Kamikaze Factor: Choosing Jesuit Ministries (Nov. 1979)
12/2 Henriot, Appleyard, Klein, Living Together in Mission: A Symposium on Small Apostolic

Communities (Mar. 1980)
12/3 Conwell, Living and Dying in the Society of Jesus (May 1980)
12/4-5 Schineller, Newer Approaches to Christology and Their Use in the Spiritual Exercises (Sept. -Nov.
1980)

13/1 Peter, Alcoholism in Jesuit Life (Jan. 1981)

13/3 Ganss, Towards Understanding the Jesuit Brothers' Vocation (May 1981)

13/4 Reites, St Ignatius of Loyola and the Jews (Sept. 1981)

14/1 O'Malley, The Jesuits, St Ignatius, and the Counter Reformation (Jan. 1982)

14/2 Dulles, St Ignatius and Jesuit Theological Tradition (Mar. 1982)

14/4 Gray, An Experience in Ignatian Government (Sept. 1982)

14/5 Ivern, The Future of Faith and Justice: Review of Decree Four (Nov. 1982)

15/1 O'Malley, The Fourth Vow in Its Ignatian Context (Jan. 1983)

15/2 Sullivan and Faricy, On Making the Spiritual Exercises for Renewal of Jesuit Chansms (Mar.

1983)

15/3-4 Padberg, The Society True to Itself A Brief History of the 32nd General Congregation of the

Society of Jesus (May-Sept. 1983)

15/5-16/1 Tetlovf, Jesuits' Mission in Higher Education (Nov. 1983-Jan. 1984)

16/2 O'Malley, To Travel to Any Part of the World: Jeronimo Nodal and the Jesuit Vocation (Mar.

1984)

16/3 O'Hanlon, Integration of Christian Practices: A Western Christian Looks East (May 1984)

16/4 Carlson, "A Faith Lived Out of Doors": Ongoing Formation (Sept. 1984)

17/1 Spohn, St Paul on Apostolic Celibacy and the Body of Christ Qan. 1985)

17/2 Daley, "In Ten Thousand Places": Christian Universality and the Jesuit Mission (Mar. 1985)

17/3 Tetlow, Dialogue on the Sexual Maturing of Celibates (May 1985)

17/4 Spohn, Coleman, Clarke, Henriot, Jesuits and Peacemaking (Sept. 1985)

17/5 Kinerk, When Jesuits Fray: A Perspective on the Prayer of Apostolic Persons (Nov. 1985)

18/1 Gelpi, The Converting Jesuit (Jan. 1986).

18/2 Beirne, Compass and Catalyst The Ministry of Administration, (Mar. 1986)

18/3 McCormick, Bishops as Teachers and Jesuits as Listeners (May 1986)

18/5 Tetlow, The Transformation of Jesuit Poverty (Nov. 1986).

19/1 Staudenmaier, United States Technology and Adult Commitment Qan. 1987)

19/2 Appleyard, Languages We Use- Talking about Religious Experience (Mar. 1987)

19/5 Endean, Who Do You Say Ignatius Is? Jesuit Fundamentalism and Beyond (Nov. 1987)

20/1 Brackley, Downward Mobility: Social Implications of St Ignatius 's Two Standards (Jan. 1988)

20/2 Padberg, Haw We Live Where We Live (Mar. 1988)

20/3 Hayes, Padberg, Staudenmaier, Symbols, Devotions, and Jesuits (May 1988)

20/4 McGovern, Jesuit Education and Jesuit Spirituality (Sept. 1988)

20/5 Barry, Jesuit Formation Today: An Invitation to Dialogue and Involvement (Nov. 1988)

21/1 Wilson, Where Do We Belong? United States Jesuits and Their Memberships (Jan. 1989)

21/2 Demoustier, Calvez, et al., The Disturbing Subject- The Option for the Poor (Mar. 1989)

21/3 Soukup, Jesuit Response to the Communication Revolution (May 1989)

22/1 Carroll, The Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life Qan. 1990)

22/2 Bracken, Jesuit Spirituality from a Process Prospective (March 1990)

22/3 Shepherd, Fire for a Weekend: An Experience of the Exercises (May 1990)

22/4 O'Sullivan, Trust Your Feelings, but Use Your Head (Sept. 1990)

22/5 Coleman, A Company of Critics: Jesuits and the Intellectual Life (Nov. 1990)

23/1 Houdek, The Road Too Often Traveled Qan. 1991)

23/2 DiGiacomo, Ministering to the Young (March 1991)

23/3 Begheyn and Bogart, A Bibliography on St Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises (May 1991)

23/4 Shelton, Reflections on the Mental Health of Jesuits (Sept. 1991)

23/5 Toolan, "Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire" (Nov. 1991)

24/1 Houdek, Jesuit Prayer and Jesuit Ministry: Context and Possibilities (Jan. 1992)

24/2 Smolich, Testing the Water: Jesuits Accompanying the Poor (March 1992)

24/3 Hassel, Jesus Christ Changing Yesterday, Today, and Forever (May 1992)

24/4 Shelton, Toward Healthy Jesuit Community Living (Sept. 1992)

24/5 Cook, Jesus' Parables and the Faith That Does Justice (Nov. 1992)

25/2 Donahue, What Does the Lord Require? (March 1993)— ONCE AGAIN AVAILABLE

25/3 Padberg, Ignatius, the Popes, and Realistic Reverence (May 1993)

25/4 Stahel, Toward General Congregation 34 (Sept. 1993)

25/5 Baldovin, Christian Liturgy: An Annotated Bibliography (Nov. 1993)

26/1 Tetlow, The Most Postmodern Prayer (Jan. 1994)

26/2 Murphy, The Many Ways of Justice (March 1994)

26/3 Staudenmaier, To Fall in Love with the World (May 1994)

26/4 Foley, Stepping into the River (Sept. 1994)

26/5 Landy, Myths That Shape Us (Nov. 1994)

27/1 Daley, "To Be More like Christ" (Jan. 1995)

27/2 Schmidt, Portraits and Landscapes (March 1995)

27/3 Stockhausen, I'd Love to, but I Don't Have the Time (May 1995)

27/4 Anderson, Jesuits in Jail, Ignatius to the Present (Sept. 1995)

27/5 Shelton, Friendship in Jesuit Life (Nov. 1995)

28/1 Begheyn, Bibliography on the History of the Jesuits (Jan. 1996)

28/3 Clooney, In Ten Thousand Places, in Every Blade of Grass (May 1996)

28/4 Starkloff, 'As Different As Night and Day" (Sept. 1996)

28/5 Beckett, Listening to Our History (Nov. 1996)

29/1 Hamm, Preaching Biblical Justice (Jan. 1997)

29/2 Padberg, The Three Forgotten Founders (March 1997)

29/3 Byrne, Jesuits and Parish Ministry (May 1997)

29/4 Keenan, Are Informationes Ethical? (Sept. 1997)

29/5 Ferlita, The Road to Bethlehem-Is It Level or Winding? (Nov. 1997)

30/1 Shore, The Vita Christi ofLudolph of Saxony and Its Influence on the Spiritual Exercises of

Ignatius of Loyola (Jan. 1998)

30/2 Starkloff, "I'm No Theologian, but . . . (or So . . . )?" (March 1998)

30/3 Torrens, The Word That Clamors (May 1998)

30/4 Petrik, "Being Sent" (Sept. 1998)

30/5 Jackson, "One and the Same Vocation" (Nov. 1998)

31/1 Clifford, Scripture and the Exercises (Jan. 1999)

31/2 Toohig, Physics Research, a Search for God (March 1999)

31/3 Fagin, Fidelity in the Church— Then and Now (May 1999)

31/4 Schineller, Pilgrim Journey of Ignatius (Sept. 1999)

31/5 Fullam, Juana, S.J.: Status of Women in the Society (Nov. 1999)

32/1 Langan, The Good of Obedience in a Culture of Autonomy (Jan. 2000)

32/2 Blake, Listen with Your Eyes (March 2000)

32/3 Shelton, When a Jesuit Counsels Others (May 2000)

32/4 Barry, Past, Present, and Future (Sept. 2000)

32/5 Starkloff, Pilgrimage Re-envisioned (Nov. 2000)

33/1 Kolvenbach et al., Faith, Justice, and American Jesuit Higher Education (Jan. 2001)

33/2 Keenan, Unexpected Consequences: Persons's Christian Directory (March 2001)

33/3 Arrupe, Trinitarian Inspiration of the Ignatian Charism (May 2001)

33/4 Veale, Saint Ignatius Asks, "Are You Sure You Know Who I Am?' (Sept. 2001)

33/5 Barry and Keenan, How Multicultural Are We? (Nov. 2001)

34/1 Blake, 'City of the Living God" (Jan. 2002)

34/2 Clooney, A Charism for Dialog (March 2002)

34/3 Rehg, Christian Mindfulness (May 2002)

34/4 Brackley, Expanding the Shrunken Soul (Sept. 2002)

34/5 Bireley, The Jesuits and Politics in Time of War (Nov. 2002)

35/1 Barry, Jesuit Spirituality for the Whole of Life (Jan. 2003)

35/2 Madden/Janssens, The Training of Ours in the Sacred Liturgy (March 2003)

35/3 Marcouiller, Archbishop with an Attitude (May 2003)

35/4 Modras, A Jesuit in the Crucible (Sept. 2003)

35/5 Lucas, Virtual Vessels, Mystical Signs (Nov. 2003)

36/1 Rausch, Christian Life Communities for Jesuit University Students? (Spring 2004)

36/2 Bernauer, The Holocaust and the Search for Forgiveness (Summer 2004)

36/3 Nantais, "Whatever.'" Is Not Ignatian Indifference (Fall 2004)

36/4 Lukacs, The Incarnational Dynamic of the Constitutions (Winter 2004)

37/1 Smolarski, Jesuits on the Moon (Spring 2005)

37/2 McDonough, Clenched Fist or Open Hands? (Summer 2005)

37/3 Torrens, Tuskegee Years (Fall 2005)

37/4 O'Brien, Consolation in Action (Winter 2005)

38/1 Schineller, In Their Own Words (Spring 2006)

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION, EFFECTIVE MARCH 2001

> U.S. JESUITS:

An annual subscription is provided by the ten United States provinces
for U.S. Jesuits living in the United States and U.S. Jesuits who are still
members of a U.S. province but living outside the United States.

> ALL OTHER SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Subscriptions to Studies:

U.S.: one-year, $18; two years, $35

Canada and Mexico: one year, $26; two years, $50

All other destinations: one year, $29; two years, $55

*** All payments must be in U.S. funds.

***

> CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS INFORMATION:

»►> Jesuit subscribers: Your province office should send us your change of

address; you need not do so.
w* Non-Jesuit subscribers: Change-of-address information (please include

former address label if possible) should be sent to Address

Correction.

> EDITORIAL OFFICE

Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality

Faber House

102 College Road

Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3841
Tel: 617-552-0860
Fax: 617-552-0925
E-mail: fleminpb@bc.edu

> SUBSCRIPTIONS

Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits
3601 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108

Tel: 314-977-7257

Fax: 314-977-7263

E-mail: ijs@slu.edu

> SINGLE ISSUES (Current or Past):

The price for single copies of current or past issues is $3.00, plus
postage and handling charges. Double issues (for example, 5/1-2, 8/2-3, 9/1-2,
etc.) are $6.00 each, plus postage and handling.

The Seminar on Jesuit Spirituality
3601 Lindell Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63108

Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage

PAID

Brainerd, MN
Permit No. 265

S62 P3 *******AUTO"5-DIG IT 02138

Librarian

Weston Jesuit School of Theology

99 Brattle St.

Cambridge MA 02138-3402

lll.n..l.l...ll..ll.l..l.nll.,l..lllu.„l.ll.l..l.l„l,l„l

Internet Archive Audio

Featured

Top

Images

Featured

Top

Software

Featured

Top

Books

Featured

Top

Video

Featured

Top

Mobile Apps

Browser Extensions

Archive-It Subscription

Save Page Now

Full text of "In their own words : Ignatius, Xavier, Favre and our way of proceeding"

See other formats